JACK 


ESCAPE         FROM 
BRIGANDS  IN 


BRACEBRIDGE     HEMYNG 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
LOS  ANGELES 


/ere 


JACK    HARKAWAY 

AND  HIS  SON'S 

ESCAPE  FROM  THE  BRIGANDS 
OF  GREECE. 


BY 

BRACEBRIDGE    HEMYNG 


CHICAGO 
M.  A.  DONOHUE   &  CO. 


M.  A.    DONOHUE   &e.   COMPANY 

PRINTERS   AND    BINDERS 

4O7.429    DEARBORN    STREET 

CH  ICAGO 


JackHarkaway  and  His  Son's 

Escape  from  the  Brigands  of  Greece. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  CONTESSA'S  LETTER  TO  MR.  MOLE — ON  PLEASURE  BENT — 
THE  MENDICANT  FRIAR — MIDNIGHT  MARAUDERS — HOUSE 
BREAKING. 

WHEN  Mrs.  Harkaway's  maid  returned  to  the  villa,  she 
got  scolded  for  being  so  long  upon  an  errand  of  some  impor- 
tance with  which  she  had  been  entrusted. 

Thereupon,  she  was  prepared  with  twenty  excuses,  all  of 
which  were  any  thing  but  the  truth. 

The  words  of  warning  which  the  brigand  had  called  after 
her  had  not  been  without  their  due  effect. 

"  She  had  been  detained,"  she  said,  "  by  the  Contessa 
Maraviglia  for  the  letter  which  she  brought  back  to  Mr. 
Mole." 

The  letter  was  an  invitation  to  a  grand  ball  which  was  to 
be  given  by  the  contessa  at  the  Palazzo  Maraviglia,  and  to 
which  the  Harkaways  were  going. 

Dick  Harvey  had  been  at  work  in  this  business,  and  had 
made  the  contessa  believe  indirectly  that  Mr.  Mole  was  a 
most  graceful  dancer,  and  that  it  would  be  an  eternal  shame 
for  a  bal  masqu'e  to  take  place  in  the  neighbourhood  with- 
out being  graced  by  his — Mole's — presence. 

The  result  was  that  during  lunch  Mr.  Mole  received  from 
the  maid  the  following  singular  effusion. 

"  Al  Illustrissimo  Signer  Mole,"  which,  being  translated, 
means,  "  To  the  illustrious  Mr.  Mole." 

"  Hullo ! "  said  the  tutor,  looking  around  him  and  drop- 
ping his  eye  on  Dick,"  who  is  this  from  ? " 


4  JA  CK  HARKA IV A  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  From  the  Contessa  Maraviglia,"  replied  the  girl. 

Mr.  Mole  gave  her  a  piercing  glance. 

The  contessa's  letter  was  a  sort  of  puzzle  to  poor  old  Mole. 

"  The  Contessa  Maraviglia  begs  the  honour  of  the  Signer 
Mole's  company  on  the  i6th  instant.  She  can  accept  no  re- 
fusal, as  the  fete  is  especially  organised  in  honour  of  Signor 
Mole,  whose  rare  excellence  in  the  poetry  of  motion  has  ele- 
vated dancing  into  an  art." 

Isaac  Mole  read  and  re-read  this  singular  letter,  until  he 
grew  more  and  more  fogged. 

He  thought  that  the  contessa  had  failed  to  express  herself 
clearly  in  English  on  account  of  her  imperfect  knowledge  of 
our  language ;  but  he  was  soon  corrected  in  this  impression. 

The  lady  in  question,  it  transpired,  was  English. 

So  poor  Mole  did  what  he  thought  best  under  the  circum- 
stances, and  that  was  to  consult  with  Dick  Harvey. 

"  Dear  me  !  "  echoed  Dick,  innocently ;  "  why,  you  have 
made  an  impression  here,  Mr.  Mole." 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  "  said  Mole,  doubtfully. 

"  Beyond  question.  This  contessa  is  smitten,  sir,  with 
your  attractions  ;  but  I  can  assist  you  here." 

"  You  can  ?  " 

"  Of  course." 

"  Thank  you,  my  dear  Harvey,  thank  you,"  replied  Mr. 
Mole  eagerly. 

"  Yes  ;  I  can  let  the  contessa  know  that  there  is  no  hope 
for  her." 

Isaac  Mole's  vanity  was  tickled  at  this. 

"  Don't  you  think  it  would  be  cruel  to  undeceive  her  ?  " 

"  Cruel,  sir ! "  said  Dick,  with  severe  air,  "  no,  sir  ;  I  don't. 
It  is  my  duty  to  tell  her  all." 

Mr.  Mole  looked  alarmed. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  That  you  are  a  married  man." 

"  I  say,  I  say " 

"  Yes,  sir,  very  much  married,"  pursued  Dick,  relentlessly  ; 
"  that  you  have  had  three  wives,  and  were  nearly  taking:  a 
fourth." 

"  Don't,  Dick." 

"  All  more  or  less  black." 

"  Dick,  Dick  ! " 

"  However,  there  is  no  help  for  it ;  you  will  have  to  go  to 
this  ball." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  5 

"  Never." 

"  You  will,  though.  The  contessa  has  heard  of  your  fame 
in  the  ball  room " 

"  What ! " 

"  In  bygone  years,  no  doubt — and  she  does  not  know  of 
the  little  matters  which  have  happened  since  to  spoil  your 
activity,  if  not  your  grace." 

As  he  alluded  to  the  "  little  matters,"  he  glanced  at  Mr. 
Mole's  wooden  legs. 

Mr.  Mole  thought  it  over,  and  then  he  read  through  the 
letter  again. 

"  You  are  right,  Harvey,"  he  said  with  an  air  of  determina- 
tion ;  "  and  my  mind's  made  up." 

"Is  it?" 

"  Yes." 

"  So  much  the  better,  for  your  absence  would  be  sadly 
missed  at  the  ball." 

"  You  misunderstand  me,  Harvey ;  I  shall  not  go." 

Dick  looked  frightened. 

"  Don't  say  that,  Mr.  Mole,  I  beg,  don't ;  it  would  be  dan- 
gerous." 

"  What  on  earth  do  you  mean  ? " 

"  I  mean  that  this  lady  is  English  by  birth,  but  she  has 
lived  in  the  land  of  the  Borgias,  where  they  yet  know  how 
to  use  poison." 

"  Harvey  ! " 

"  And  if  her  love  were  slighted,  she  might  recollect  it.'* 

Mr.  Mole  looked  precious  uncomfortable. 

"  It  is  really  very  embarrassing,  Harvey,"  said  he ;  "  my 
personal  attractions  are  likely  to  get  me  into  trouble." 

And  yet,  in  spite  of  his  embarrassment,  Mr.  Mole  was  not 
altogether  displeased  at  the  fancy. 

He  strutted  up  and  down,  showing  the  fall  in  his  back  to 
the  best  advantage,  and  was  very  evidently  conscious  that  he 
was  rather  a  fine  man. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Harvey,  with  great  gravity  ;  "your  fatal 
beauty  is  likely  to  lead  you  into  a  mess." 

At  the  words  "  fatal  beauty,"  Mr.  Mole  made  a  grimace. 

It  was  rather  a  strong  dose  for  even  him  to  swallow. 

"  Draw  it  mild,  Harvey,"  said  he,  "  pray  draw  it  mild." 

Dick  shook  his  head  with  great  seriousness. 

"  Don't  you  be  deceived,  Mr.  Mole,"  said  he  ;  "  use  the 
greatest  care,  for  this  poor  countess  is  to  be  pitied.  Her 


6  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

love  is  likely  to  turn  to  violent  hate  if  she  finds  herself 
slighted — the  poignard  or  the  poisoned  chalice  may  yet  be 
called  to  play  a  part  in  your  career." 

Mr.  Mole  turned  pale. 

Yet  he  tried  to  laugh. 

A  hollow  ghastly  laugh  it  was  too,  that  told  how  he  felt 
more  plainly  than  words  could  have  done. 

"  Don't,  Harvey  ;  don't,  I  beg !  "  he  said  in  faltering  tones  ; 
"  it  sounds  like  some  dreadful  thing  one  sees  upon  the  stage." 

"  In  all  these  southern  countries  you  know,  Mr.  Mole,  a 
man's  life  is  not  worth  much." 

"  Harvey  ! " 

"  A  hired  assassin  or  bravo  will  cut  a  throat  or  stab  a 
man  in  the  back  for  a  few  francs." 

"  Oh  !  " 

"  I  should  advise  you  not  to  keep  out  after  dark — and  avoid 
dark  corners.  These  people  can  poison  you,  too,  with  a 
bouquet  or  a  jewel.  Accept  a  flower  or  a  nosegay,  but  don't 
smell  it." 

"  Harvey." 

-"Sir?" 

•*'  Is  it  your  wish  to  make  me  uncomfortable  ?  " 

M  How  can  you  think  it  ? " 

*'  Do  you  wish  me  to  dream  all  night,  and  disturb  Mrs. 
Mole,  and  not  to  get  a  wink  of  sleep  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not ;  that's  why  I  am  giving  you  advice ;  but 
pray  understand  the  contessa  thinks  you  are  a  single  man." 

"  Good  gracious  me  ;  it  is  very  unpleasant  to  have  a  con- 
tessa in  love  with  one." 

"  I  don't  know  that ;  most  men  wouldn't  say  so.  There 
are,  I'll  be  bound,  forty  men  within  a  mile  of  this  house  who 
would  give  their  ears  to  have  received  such  a  letter." 

Mr.  Mole  smiled — a  self-satisfied,  complacent  smile. 

"  Do  you  think  so  ? " 

"  I  know  it." 

Mole  lifted  his  collar  and  shot  his  cuffs  over  his  hands, 
as  he  stumped  across  the  room,  and  looked  into  a  glass. 

"  Well,  well,  Harvey,  I  suppose  I  must  go  to  the  ball ;  but 
you  will  bear  me  witness  that  I  only  go  for  reasons  of  pru- 
dence, and  that  I  am  not  going  to  be  led  away  by  any  little 
silly  reasons  of  vanity  ? " 

"  Of  course,"  returned  Dick,  gravely. 

"  Besides,  I  go  disguised." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


1 


"  Certainly." 

"  And  what  disguise  would  you  recommend  ? " 

"  Why  that  is  a  matter  for  reflection,"  said  Dick.  "  I 
should  think  that  you  ought  almost  to  keep  up  the  char- 
acter." 

"  The  character  I  "  said  Mole.     "  What  character?  " 

"  A  Terpsichorean  personage,"  replied  Dick,  with  the  air 
of  one  discussing  a  grave  problem.  "  Say,  for  instance,  a 
ballet  girl." 

Mr.  Mole  gasped. 

"  No,  no ;  not  a  ballet  girL" 

"  A  fairy  queen,  then." 

"Don't,  Dick;  don't,  I  beg." 

"  Or,  if  you  object  to  the  costume  of  the  gentler  sex,  what 
do  you  say  to  the  spangles  and  wand  of  a  harlequin  ?  " 

"  Do  you  really  think  that  such  a  costume  would  become 
me?" 

"  Do  I  think  ?  "  iterated  Dick.  "  Do  I  know  /  Of  course 
it  would  become  you.  You  will  look  the  part  to  the  life  :  it 
wants  a  figure  to  show  off  such  a  dress  and  to  be  shown  off 
by  it." 

"  But  what  about  my — my  wooden  legs,  Dick  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I'll  provide  you  with  cork  ones,  and  here  they  are," 
said  Harvey,  producing  a  pair. 

And  so  it  was  settled. 

Mr.  Mole  was  to  go  to  the  ball,  and  his  disguise  was  to  be 
be  well-known  spangles  and  colours  of  a  harlequin. 

Harvey  himself  chose  a  clown's  costume  and  carried  over 
his  shoulder  Mole's  wooden  legs,  in  case  any  thing  happened 
to  the  cork  ones  he  was  walking  on  for  the  first  time. 

Harkaway  was  to  go  as  a  knight  of  old. 

Magog  Brand  selected  the  character  of  Quasimodo,  the 
hunchback  of  Notre  Dame. 

Jefferson  selected  the  character  of  Julius  Caesar,  a  costume 
which  his  fine,  stalwart  form  set  off  to  considerable  advant- 
age. 

Mrs.  Harkaway  was  to  go  as  Diana,  the  huntress,  and  Mrs. 
Harvey  made  Marie  Stuart  her  choice. 

Little  Emily  and  Paquita  went  in  dresses  of  the  Charles 
the  Second  period. 

These  young  ladies  were  escorted  by  young  Jack  and 
Harry  Girdwood,  who  were  richly  habited  as  young  Vene- 
tian nobles  of  the  sixteenth  century. 


fcj  JA  CK  HA  RKA  WAY  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

As  they  passed  through  the  garden  door  a  man  stood  in 
their  path. 

He  wore  a  long  serge  gown,  with  a  cowl,  like  a  mendicant 
monk,  and  as  they  approached  he  put  out  his  open  hand 
for  alms. 

"  Bother  the  beggars  !  "  said  Mr.  Mole,  tartly. 

The  monk  shrank  back  into  his  cowl,  and  stood  aside 
while  the  party  went  by. 

The  garden  door  was  held  by  the  maid  servant  while  they 
passed  on,  and  when  they  were  out  of  hearing,  she  dropped 
a  small  silver  coin  into  the  mendicant  friar's  hand. 

"  There,"  she  said,  "  I  can  spare  you  something,  father, 
although  those  rich  English  cannot  or  will  not,  the  heretics 
and  pagans ! " 

The  friar,  who  was  seemingly  an  aged  man,  muttered  his 
thanks,  and  the  girl  retired  and  closed  the  door,  locking 
it  behind  her. 

No  sooner  was  the  door  closed  than  the  mendicant  monk 
whistled  a  low  but  very  distinct  note,  and  lo  !  two  men  ap- 
peared upon  the  scene. 

It  looked  as  though  they  had  just  come  up  trap-doors  in 
the  earth,  so  suddenly  did  they  show  in  sight. 

"  Captain  Mathias,"  said  the  disguised  monk  to  the  first 
who  came  up,  "  I  have  learnt  all  we  wish  to  know." 

"  You  have  ?  "  ejaculated,  not  the  man  addresssed  by  the 
mendicant  monk,  but  the  other.  "  Out  with  it,  then." 

"  Still  your  impatience,  Toro,  if  you  can. " 

"  Bah  !  " 

"  Well,  then,  learn   that  Mole  goes  as " 

"  Bother  Mole  !  "  interrupted  Toro,  harshly.  "  How  does 
our  great  foe  go  ?  " 

"Harkaway?" 

"  Yes." 

"  An  English  knight  of  old." 

"  It  shall  be  my  task,"  said  Toro,  "  to  keep  up  his  char- 
acter, and  give  it  a  realistic  look  by  a  hand-to-hand  fight." 

"  Don't  be  rash,"  said  the  mendicant  friar,  or  you  may 
chance  to  be  beaten." 

"  I  can  risk  my  life  on  it." 

"  You  have — you  do ;  every  hour  that  you  live  here  im- 
perils it.  Did  you  see  the  party  go  ?  " 

"  I  did,"  said  Mathias. 

The  latter  was  no  other  than  the  captain  of  the  brigands, 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  9 

Already  they  were  upon  a  footing  of  equality,  for  the  two 
adventurers  had  had  opportunities,  which  they  had  not  failed 
to  seize. 

They  had  courage,  ready  wit,  presence  of  mind,  boldness 
daring,  and  cunning,  and  so  it  fell  out  that  they  who  had  made 
the  acquaintance  of  the  brigand's  gang  under  such  very  un- 
pleasant auspices,  became  two  of  the  principal  members  of  it 
within  a  few  days. 

But  to  resume. 

"Tell  me,  Hunston,"  said  Toro,  "does  Jefferson  go  to 
the  ball  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  How  disguised  ?  " 

"  Julius  Caesar." 

The  Italian  said  nothing,  but  his  lips  moved,  and  his  lower- 
ing brow  was  as  expressive  as  words  could  be  to  his  old 
comrade. 

It  boded  ill  for  Jefferson. 

They  had  met  in  fair  fight,  and  he,  Toro,  had  been  de- 
feated. 

That  defeat  was  as  bitter  as  gall  to  him. 

He  would  be  avenged. 

And  if  he  could  not  cope  with  the  doughty  Anglo-American, 
then  let  him  look  to  it. 

What  strength  and  skill  failed  to  achieve,  the  assassin's 
knife  would  accomplish. 

"  Did  you  see  the  girl  that  attended  him  to  the  gate  ? " 
demanded  the  mendicant  friar,  or  Hunston,  as  it  would  be 
better  to  call  him,  since  there  is  no  further  need  of  conceal- 
ment. 

"  I  did." 

"  And  recognised  her,  Mathias  ?  "  he  asked  of  the  brigand 
captain. 

"  Yes  ;  it  is  the  pretty  girl  we  stopped  with  her  lover,  the 
coy  Marietta." 

"Now  that  they  are  well  off,  we  may  as  well  set  to  work," 
said  Hunston. 

"  Good." 

Hunston  threw  back  his  friar's  cowl  and  produced  a 
key. 

"  They  have  had  many  a  good  hunt  for  this,"  he  said, 
with  his  old  sinister  laugh. 

"  I  dare  say." 


10  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  It  was  a  lucky  thing  that  the  dainty  little  Marietta 
dropped  it." 

"Yes,  it  makes  matters  much  easier  for  us  to  begin 
with." 

The  door  yielded  to  the  touch  of  the  sham  mendicant 
friar,  and  the  three  worthies  entered  the  grounds. 

Silently  they  stepped  across  a  grassplot,  keeping  a  thick 
shrubbery  between  them  and  the  house  as  far  as  they  could, 
when  just  as  they  gained  the  shelter  of  a  trellissed  verandah, 
a  dog  within  set  up  a  most  alarming  noise. 

The  three  robbers  exchanged  uneasy  glances. 

"  Curse  the  beast ! "  muttered  Mathias  the  captain  ;  "  he 
Will  ruin  us." 

Toro  got  ready  his  long  hunting-knife  and  looked  about. 

But  the  dog  was  out  of  sight. 

A  lucky  thing  it  was  too  for  our  old  friend  little  Mike,  for 
a  touch  with  that  ugly  instrument  would  soon  have  stopped 
his  singing. 

Now,  just  above  the  verandah  was  a  half-opened  window, 
and  into  this  Mathias  peered  anxiously. 

No  signs  of  Mike. 

A  voice  was  heard  now  calling  to  the  faithful  guardian  of 
the  house  to  be  silent,  but  Mike  refused  emphatically  to  be 
comforted ;  thereupon,  the  person  very  imprudently  called 
the  dog  to  her  and  tied  him  up. 

This  did  not  quiet  him. 

So  the  person  in  question  tripped  down  the  garden  to  see 
if  there  was  really  any  reason  for  the  dog's  singular  be- 
heaviour. 

In  passing  down  the  path  she  went  so  close  to  the  veran- 
dah, that  the  skirts  of  her  dress  actually  brushed  aside  the 
creeping  plants  which  garnished  the  trellis  work. 

"  Snarling,  barking  little  beast ! "  quoth  Marietta  to  her- 
self, "  and  all  about  about  nothing ;  I  wish  they  would  lose 
him." 

But  when  she  got  to  the  bottom  of  the  garden  and  discov- 
ered the  garden  door  open,  she  altered  her  tone. 

"  How  very  silly  of  me  to  leave  the  door  unlocked,"  she 
said  to  herself.  "  Poor  little  fellow,  poor  Mike,  I'm  coming, 
good  dog.  Heard  someone,  I  suppose.  Good  gracious, 
what's  that  ?  I  thought  I  saw  something  move  there.  I'm 
getting  as  nervous  as  a  cat  ever  since  those  men  stopped  us 
and  made  me  kiss  them,  the  beasts.  Ugh  !  how  I  loathe  them, 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  ri 

although  there  was  one  of  them  that  was  really  not  very  bad- 
looking.  I  wonder  where  that  poor  old  friar  went  to.  What 
was  that  ?  Oh,  how  nervous  I  feel.  I  wish  they  had  left 
me  some  one  in  the  house  besides  that  old  deaf  Constantino ; 
he's  nice  company  truly  for  a  girl.  Bother  the  dog,  what  a 
noise  he  is  kicking  up." 

And  chatting  thus,  Marietta  re-entered  the  house. 

Meanwhile  Mathias  had  clambered  up  the  iron  balcony  and 
pushing  open  the  glass  door,  or  rather  window,  he  entered 
the  room. 

It  was  the  dining-room,  and  the  remnants  of  a  very 
sumptuous  repast  were  yet  upon  the  table. 

"  I'll  just  take  a  glass  of  wine." 

He  did,  too. 

He  took  several  glasses  of  wine,  and  then,  as  the  fumes  of 
the  good  liquor  mounted  to  his  brain,  he  grew  generous,  and 
he  lowered  a  bottle  out  of  the  window  to  his  two  comrades 
beneath. 

Toro  grasped  it,  and  sucked  down  a  good  half  of  it  before 
it  left  his  lips. 

Then  Hunston  finished  it  off  at  a  draught. 

When  Mathias  had  regaled  himself,  he  made  a  move  to 
the  door. 

There  was  no  one  about. 

Not  a  sound. 

Now  was  his  time. 

His  object  was  to  explore  the  house,  and  ascertain  in  what 
particular  part  of  it  the  cash,  the  jewels,  and  the  plate  were 
kept. 

When  they  had  secured  these,  they  could  content  them- 
selves for  the  present  at  least. 

Firstly,  therefore,  he  tied  up  the  silver  spoons  and  knives 
and  forks  from  the  dinner  table  in  a  napkin,  and  dropped  the 
bundle  into  Toro's  hat  below. 

Then  he  crept  back  through  the  room  into  the  passage. 

This  done,  he  waited  for  a  while  to  listen,  and  assuring 
himself  that  the  coast  was  clear,  he  crept  up. 

On  the  next  landing  there  were  seven  doors. 

Six  were  shut,  so  he  peeped  into  the  seventh  room,  and 
just  then  he  heard  a  noise  below. 

Someone  coming  up  stairs. 

What  could  he  do  ? 

He  stole  back  to  the  stairs  and  listened. 


12  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

It  was  Marietta. 

It  was  really  a  most  embarrassing  job  now,  for  there  was 
no  retreat,  so  he  crept  upon  tip-toe  into  the  room,  of  which 
the  door  stood  ajar. 

It  was  a  bedroom,  dimly  lighted  by  an  oil  lamp. 

A  cursory  glance  showed  him  that  this  room  had  only  been 
lately  vacated,  and  that  one  or  more  of  the  ladies  had  been 
dressing  here  for  the  ball. 

Within  a  few  feet  of  the  door  was  a  looking-glass  let  into 
the  wall  as  a  panel,  and  reaching  from  floor  to  ceiling. 

Mathias  listened  in  great  anxiety  for  the  footsteps  on  the 
stairs,  and  every  moment  they  sounded  nearer  and  nearer. 

"  I  hope  she  will  not  come  in  here,"  thought  the  robber, 
"  else  I  shall  have  to  make  her  sure." 

He  showed  how  he  meant  to  "  make  her  sure  "  by  toying 
with  the  hilt  of  his  dagger. 

Mathias  crouched  down,  and  crept  under  the  bed,  just  in 
time,  as  the  pert  young  lady  skipped  into  the  room. 

Her  first  care  was  to  turn  up  the  lamp,  and  by  its  light  she 
looked  about  her. 

"  I  think  they  might  have  taken  me  to  the  ball  with  them," 
she  said,  saucily  shaking  her  curls  off  her  face.  "  I  should 
have  looked  better  than  some  of  them,  I'll  be  bound.  I'm 
dead  beat  with  fatigue.  I've  had  all  the  work  dressing  them, 
and  they  are  to  get  all  the  fun." 

She  was  silent  for  some  few  minutes,  and  Mathias  grew  anx- 
ious. 

What  could  be  going  forward  ? 

He  would  vastly  like  to  know. 

Unable  to  control  his  curiosity,  he  peeped  out,  and  then 
he  saw  pretty  Marietta's  portrait  in  the  long  looking-glass 
panel. 

She  looked  prettier  than  ever  now,  for,  shocking  to  relate, 
the  young  lady  was  undressing. 

Mathias  was  not  to  say  a  bashful  man,  so  he  did  not  draw 
back. 

On  the  contrary,  he  stared  with  all  his  eyes. 

Pretty  Marietta  little  thought,  as  she  stood  before  the 
glass,  that  such  a  desperate  villain  was  watching  every  move- 
ment. 

Marietta,  wholly  unconscious  that  she  was  watched  by  the 
vile  brigand  chief,  walked  up  and  down  before  the  glass, 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  13 

shooting  admiring  glances  at  herself  over  her  white  and  well 
rounded  shoulders. 

"  Dress,  and  rank,  and  money  do  wonders,"  she  said. 
"  Why  are  we  not  all  about  equal  ?  I'm  as  good  as  the  best 
of  them,  I'm  sure,  and  very  much  better  looking." 

With  this  mixture  of  feminine  vanity  and  republican  senti- 
ments, she  bustled  about,  putting  the  room  a  bit  in  order. 

Now  her  first  job  was  to  put  away  several  dresses. 

The  first  of  these  was  a  short  Spanish  skirt  of  pink 
satin,  with  deep  black  lace  flounces. 

"  I  wonder  how  I  should  look  in  this  ? "     she  murmured. 

She  held  up  the  dress  beside  her  to  test  the  colour  against 
her  complexion. 

"  Beautiful !  " 

Beautiful ;  yes,  this  was  her  frank  opinion,  and,  really,  we 
are  by  no  means  sure  but  that  her  own  estimate  was  very  near 
the  mark. 

On  went  the  dress. 

She  strutted  up  and  down,  and  then,  when  she  had  feasted 
her  eyes  enough  upon  her  own  loveliness,  she  plaited  her  hair, 
and,  twisting  it  up  into  a  rich  knot  behind,  she  stuck  a  high 
comb  into  it,  and  fastened  the  thick  lace  veil  about  her. 

Mathias  watched  it  all. 

He  gloated  over  that  pretty  little  picture,  and,  shameless 
rascal !  chuckled  to  think  how  little  she  suspected  his  pres- 
ence. 

"  There,"  she  said,  folding  the  veil  about  her  head  with 
the  most  coquettish  manner,  "  if  I  don't  look  the  prettiest 
senorita  alive,  why,  call  me — call  me  anything  odious — yes, 
even  an  Englishwoman— ha,  ha,  ha !  How  that  would  please 
my  mistress ! " 

And  then  she  figured  about  before  the  glass,  and  capered 
through  a  Spanish  bolero  with  considerable  grace  and  dex- 
terity, while  she  sang  an  impromptu  verse  to  an  old  air. 

The  verse  was  naturally  doggerel,  and  may  be  given  in  Eng- 
lish as  follows — 

"  Sweet  Marietta, 

Rarely  has  been 
A  sweeter  or  better 

Face  or  form  seen ; 
My  chestnut  tresses, 

And  my  Spanish  fall, 
Would  eclipse  all  the  dresses 

At  the  masked  ball. 


I4  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

Then  why,  Marietta, 

Dally  ? — ah,  no  ! 
Pluck  up,  you'd  better, 

Your  courage  and  go !  " 

And  as  she  came  to  the  last  line,  this  impudent  little  maid 
whirled  round,  spinning  her  skirts  about  her  like  a  top. 

Mathias  was  enraptured. 

With  difficulty  he  kept  himself  from  applauding. 

"  She'd  make  her  fortune  upon  the  stage,"  he  said  to  him- 
self. 

Marietta  had  made  quite  a  conquest ;  a  double  conquest, 
it  might  almost  be  said. 

The  hidden  robber  was  enraptured,  and  she  was  scarcely 
less  pleased  with  herself. 

"  I'll  go,''  she  said  to  herself.  "  Why  should  I  not  ?  They'll 
never  find  it  out ;  I  can  do  just  as  Cenerentola  (Cinderella) 
did,  and  who  knows  but  that  some  prince  might  fall  over  head 
and  ears  in  love  with  me  ?  I  can  get  back  long  before  they 
do." 

Out  she  skipped  too,  and  tripped  down  the  stairs. 

She  was  off  to  the  ball. 

Little  dreamt  she  that  for  the  last  half  hour  her  life  hung 
upon  the  most  slender  thread. 

And  now,  the  coast  being  clear,  the  three  brigands  pre- 
pared to  carry  out  their  plans. 


CHAPTER  IL 

AT  THE  CONTESSA'S  FETE — A  ROMANTIC  ADVENTURE  BETWEEN 
CERTAIN  OLD  FRIENDS. 

THE  most  brilliant  fgte  of  the  year  was  that  given  by  the 
rich  Contessa  Maraviglia  at  her  palazzo. 

All  the  rank  and  fashion  of  the  land  were  there. 

The  palazzo  itself  was  a  building  of  great  beauty,  and 
stood  in  grounds  of  great  extent. 

The  contessa,  who  was  a  widow,  had  a  princely  fortune, 
and  she  spent  it  lavishly  too. 

Upon  the  night  of  the  masquerade  the  gardens  were 
brilliantly  lighted. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  15 

Upon  the  miniature  lake  there  was  a  fairy  gondola,  with  a 
coloured  lantern  dangling  at  the  prow,  and  hung  with  curtains 
of  pale  blue  silk  gauze. 

In  this  gondola  a  lady  was  seated. 

She  had  taken  to  the  gondola,  not  alone  for  the  sake  of 
the  freshness  of  the  breeze  upon  the  water,  but  to  read  with- 
out interruption  a  letter  she  had  received  from  a  mysterious 
man  who  professed  to  be  deeply  smitten  with  her  charms, 
and  who,  the  messenger  of  love  let  fall,  was  a  prince. 

She  wore  a  black  domino,  but  was  not  masked,  for  as  she 
threw  back  its  folds  to  breathe  more  freely,  you  could  see 
that  her  only  veil  was  a  thick  fall  of  black  lace,  fastened  to  a 
high  comb  in  the  back  of  her  head. 

"  I  hope  he  will  not  be  long,"  said  she  to  herself,  while 
her  heart  beat  high  with  expectation.  "  His  note  says  clearly 
enough  on  the  lake  in  the  fairy  gondola.  Well,  it  will  cer- 
tainly be  nice  to  be  a  princess,  but  I  do  hope  that  his  high- 
ness may  prove  to  be  a  dashing,  handsome  youth,  such  as  a 
Cinderella  might  sigh  for.  Hush,  boatman  !  " 

"  Lady  ?  " 

"  Do  you  hear  ?  " 

"  Someone  singing  on  the  bank  yonder  ?  Yes !  I  hear, 
lady." 

"  Row  that  way." 

A  voice  was  heard  carolling  gently  the  serenade — "  Fair 
shines  the  moon  to-night." 

The  voice  meant  well,  evidently,  but  something  rather 
spoilt  the  effect. 

It  was  not  altogether  in  tune,  nor  had  the  singer  the  best 
idea  in  the  world  of  time. 

Perhaps  his  singing  was  spoilt  by  excess  of  love. 

Perhaps  by  liquor. 

The  latter  idea  was  suggested  by  a  certain  unsteadiness 
that  would  appear  to  indicate  both  love  and  liquor. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  the  singer  was  not  at  all  aware  of  the 
disadvantages  under  which  he  laboured. 

On  the  contrary,  he  had  the  greatest  belief  in  himself. 

"Boatman,"  exclaimed  the  lady,  impatiently,  "row  me 
ashore." 

"  Yes,  lady." 

He  obeyed,  as  he  spoke,  and  as  the  boat  grounded,  the 
hidden  minstrel  stepped  forward. 

The  gallant  was  rather  a  tall  man,  masked  and  habited  in 


1 6  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON  *S 

a  long  cloak,  which  almost  concealed  a  glittering  and  gor- 
geous costume  beneath. 

This  cavalier  hastened  to  tender  the  lady  his  hand  and  to 
assist  her  to  disembark. 

As  soon  as  she  was  fairly  upon  terra  firma,  the  gentle- 
man led  her  away  to  a  more  secluded  part  of  the  garden, 
and  then  ensued  a  brief  but  highly  interesting  conversa- 
tion. 

It  took  place  in  the  Italian  language. 

That  beautiful  tongue  was  not  to  say  elegantly  spoken  upon 
either  side. 

The  gentleman  spoke  as  a  foreigner,  but  imperfectly  ac- 
quainted with  the  idiom. 

"  Sir,"  said  the  lady,  after  an  embarrassing  silence  upon 
his  part,  "  I  scarcely  know  if  I  ought  to  be  here." 

"  Nor  I  either,  my  dear  lady,"  began  the  gallant. 

But  then,  aware  that  this  was  not  exactly  what  might  have 
been  expected  of  him,  he  stammered  and  broke  down. 

"  Poor  prince,"  thought  the  lady,  with  a  very  unladylike 
chuckle  to  herself.  "  How  embarrassed  he  is." 

The  cavalier  stared  at  her  through  the  great  eyes  in  his 
mask,  as  he  muttered  to  himself — 

"  She  is  evidently  in  love  with  me  very  badly ;  I  am 
curious  to  learn  how  a  princess  makes  love.  I  am  anxious 
only  of  course  to  study  it  as  a  matter  of  curiosity." 

"  I  ought  not  to  have  come  here,  prince,"  said  the  lady, 
in  a  nervous  tone. 

Prince  ! 

The  word  made  the  masked  gentleman  stare. 

"  Prince  !  I  suppose  that  she  can't  know  I  am  a  married 
man,  and  goes  straight  to  the  question.  This  is  popping  the 
question  sharply." 

He  had  never  been  made  love  to  before  by  a  lady  of  any 
degree,  much  less  by  a  princess,  so  he  was  exceedingly  anx- 
ious to  see  how  she  would  begin  upon  this  occasion. 

But  after  they  had  got  to  a  quiet  and  remote  part  of  the 
garden,  they  came  to  a  dead  lock. 

Not  a  word  was  spoken  upon  either  side. 

"  I  wish  he  would  say  something  to  me,"  thought  the 
lady. 

She  was  not  used  to  such  bashful  suitors. 

"  I  have  kept  your  appointment,  sir,"  she  said,  "  although 
I  fear  I  am  very  wrong." 


AD  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  1 7 

"  My  appointment,"  muttered  the  cavalier  in  English. 
"  Come,  I  like  that." 

However,  he  added  in  the  softest  tones  he  could  assume— 

"  Fear  nothing,  princess,  I  am  not  a  dangerous  man." 

She  thought  he  was,  though,  for  as  he  said  this  he  chuckled. 

The  lady  dropped  her  eyes  before  his  bold  glance  and 
looked  as  timid  as  you  could  wish. 

Now  this  appeared  only  to  encourage  the  gentleman,  for 
he  seized  her  round  the  waist  and  pressed  a  kiss  upon  the 
only  part  of  her  cheek  which  was  left  uncovered  by  her  veil. 

She  struggled  feebly,  oh,  very  feebly  to  release  herself ; 
but  that  libertine  masker  held  her  firmly;  that  is,  as  firmly  as 
possible,  for  he  was  not  very  strong  upon  his  pins. 

"  Sir,  you  must  not  take  advantage  of  my  unprotected  situ- 
ation," she  faltered. 

"  I  should  be  very  sorry  to,  my  coy  princess,"  said  the 
gallant. 

These  words  .set  her  heart  beating  like  clockwork. 

"  He  means  well,"  she  thought,  growing  quite  easy  in  her 
mind. 

Meanwhile  the  ardent  young  lover,  growing  bolder  by  en- 
couragement, wanted  to  remove  her  veil. 

"  Grant  me  one  favour,  my  princess,"  he  said.  "  Let  me 
bask  in  the  sunshine  of  your  eyes ;  let  me  feast  my  vision 
upon  your  rare  beauty." 

The  lady  was  enraptured  at  such  poetical  imagery. 

"  It  sounds  like  a  lovely  book,"  she  murmured  in  ecstasy. 

But  she  would  not  accede  to  his  request. 

She  was  so  filled  with  joy,  so  supremely  happy,  that  she 

.*•  **«  •      1 


gaze  on  that  angeli 
Adonis. 

"  Why,"  exclaimed  the  lady,  "  since  you  know  it  so  well  ? 
"  Know  it !  "  exclaimed  the  gallant  in  surprise. 
"Yes." 

"  I  have  never  seen  it." 

"  Yet  your  letter  praises  each  feature  to  the  skies. 
"  My  letter ! " 

He  was  staggered  evidently. 
"  Undoubtedly." 
"  I  sent  no  letter." 
The  lady  was  amazed 
2 


l8  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON  V>' 

"  If  you  sent  no  letter,  why  are  you  here  ? "  she  demanded. 

"  In  obedience  to  yours,"  responded  the  gallant. 

"  My  what  ? " 

"  Your  note — your  ever-to-be-treasured  missive,"  gushed 
the  swain. 

Now  what  would  have  followed  in  the  way  of  explanations 
it  is  impossible  to  say,  for  at  the  momentous  crisis,  a  voice 
close  by  was  heard  repeating  softly  a  couplet  heard  before — 

"  Dear  Marietta, 

Never  had  been 
A  sweeter  or  neater 
Face  or  form  seen." 

The  lady  started  and  screamed,  and  would  have  fallen  had 
not  the  protecting  arm  of  the  gentleman  been  there  to  catch 
her. 

But  her  veil  fell  aside. 

When  the  lover  saw  her  face,  he  was  staggered,  and  he 
nearly  let  her  fall. 

"  Marietta !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  Marietta  !  Mrs.  Harkaway's 
maid,  by  all  that's  wonderful." 

"  Oho,"  screamed  the  lady,  "  you're  standing  on  my  toe  !  " 
saying  which  she  jerked  herself  back,  and  dragging  his  foot 
away  too,  down  he  went. 

"  It's  Mr.  Mole,"  shrieked  the  lady ;  and  catching  up  her 
pink  skirt  and  black  lace  flounces,  she  fled  precipitately  along 
the  path,  leaving  her  admirer  scrambling  in  the  most  undig- 
nified manner  upon  the  gravel  walk. 

Poor  Mr.  Mole. 

But  oh,  poor  Marietta ;  how  sadly  was  she  disappointed 
with  her  prince. 


CHAPTER  III. 

MR.  MOLE — THE  THREE  DEVILS  AND  THEIR  DEVILMENT — 
THE  CONTESSA'S  JEWELS — AN  ALARM. 

"  MR.  MOLE— Mr.  Mole  ! " 

It  was  Harvey's  voice. 

Now  Mr.  Mole  was  convinced  at  once  that  Dick  was  at 
the  bottom  of  this  comical  conspiracy  in  which  he  had  been 
made  to  look  so  ridiculous. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  19 

So  he  resolved  at  first  not  to  make  any  reply. 

But  Harvey  was  guided  to  the  spot  by  information  which 
had  been  furnished  him  concerning  Mr.  Mole,  and  soon  he 
appeared  in  sight. 

••  Mr.  Mole — Mr.  Mole !  "  exclaimed  Dick,  in  grave  reproof. 

"  Help  me  up,  Harvey,"  said  Mole,  "  and  don't  be  a  fool." 

"  Well,  that's  polite." 

"  Quite  as  polite  as  you  can  expect." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? " 

"  Oh,  you  know  what  I  mean  well  enough." 

"  I'm  hanged  if  I  do !  "  protested  Harvey,  stoutly. 

His  manner  caught  Mr.  Mole  immediately. 

So  this  led  the  old  gentleman  to  reflect. 

If  Dick  did  not  know,  it  would  be  as  well  to  keep  the  ad- 
venture to  himself. 

"  Is  it  possible,  Harvey,  that  you  don't  know  what  has 
occurred  ? " 

"  No." 

"  You  don't  know  about  Marietta  ?  " 

"  No." 

This  decided  Mole. 

"  Marietta  is  here." 

"  Never  !  "  said  Dick,  in  accents  of  deep  mystery. 

"  A  fact." 

"  Never  !  And  who  the  dickens  is  Marietta  when  she  is  at 
home  ?  " 

"  Mrs.  Harkaway's  maid,  to  be  sure." 

Dick  burst  out  laughing  at  this. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Mole,"  he  cried,  "  what  a  sly  old  fox  you  are.'* 

Mr.  Mole  stared  again. 

"  I  don't  quite  understand  what  you  are  driving  at,  Mr. 
Harvey,"  said  he. 

"  Don't  you,  though  ? — well,  I  do,  old  Slyboots." 

"  Harvey  ! " 

"  Oh,  don't  you  try  to  come  the  old  soldier  over  me." 

"  Sir  ! "  said  Mr.  Mole,  rearing  himself  up  to  his  full  height 
upon  his  timbers,  "  I  don't  understand  your  slangy  allusions 
to  the  ancient  military." 

"  Why,  it  is  clear  enough  that  you  brought  her." 

"  I  what  ?  "  almost  shrieked  Mr.  Mole,  indignantly. 

"  Brought  her,  arid  your  poor  wife  ought  to  know  of  it." 

"  Sir  ?  "  said  Mole,  "  if  you  are  bent  on  insulting  me,  I 
shall  leave  your  company." 


20  JA CK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

"  Go  it,  Mole,"  said  Dick,  laughing  until  the  tears  came 
into  his  eyes ;  "  go  it.  The  fact  is,  you  have  been  sneaking 
about  after  that  little  girl  for  a  long  while  past ;  there  can  be 
no  doubt  about  it." 

"  Harvey,  I  repudiate  your  vile  insinuations  with  scorn. 
The  fact  is,  that  in  your  anxiety  to  fix  some  wickedness  never 
contemplated  upon  me,  you  forget  all    the  most  important 
*>art  of  the  tale." 
"   "What?" 

"  Why,  that  girl  has  left  the  villa  unprotected." 

"  Nonsense  !     there's  old  Costantino  there." 

"  Useless/' 

"  And  Mike." 

"  He  barks,  but  don't  bite." 

"  Besides ;  you  may  be  mistaken,"  urged  Dick. 

"Not  I.  I  knew  her  at  once,  and  what's  more, she  recog- 
nised me." 

"  The  deuce !  " 

"  And  she  bolted  directly  I  pronounced  her  name." 

"  How  was  she  dressed  ?  " 

Mr.  Mole  gave  a  hurried  description  of  Marietta's  dress, 
and  they  wsnt  off  in  search  through  the  house  and  grounds 
after  the  fligb'y  Marietta. 

*  #  *  #  *  * 

In  another  j»trt  of  the  grounds  three  men  met. 
'  Hunston." 
'  Toro." 
'  Captain." 
'  Here." 
'All  safe?" 
'  Yes." 
'  Good ! " 

'  What  have  you  learnt,  Toro  ?  " 
'  Not  much." 
'  And  you,  captain  ? " 

'  Nothing,  or  next  to  nothing,"  was  the  reply. 
'  And  you,  Hunston  ?  " 

'I  have  gained  knowledge,"  answered  the  latter ;  "good, 
useful  knowledge." 

The  other  two  laughed  heartily  at  this  reply. 

"  You  were  always  of  a  studious  turn  of  mind,  Hunston  " 

"  Ha,  ha.  ha  !  " 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  *\ 

It  may  be  as  well  to  mention  that  they  had  sought  a  se- 
cluded part  of  the  contessa's  gardens,  and  met  now  by  ap- 
pointment. 

They  were  all  three  arrayed  in  that  peculiar  style  of  cos- 
tume which  the  prince  of  darkness  is  popularly  supposed  to 
don  when  he  makes  his  appearance  to  German  students,  in 
certain  weird  and  wild  works  of  fiction,  or  in  the  supernatural 
drama. 

It  sounded  really  remarkable  to  hear  these  three  men,  dis- 
guised as  devils,  discussing  matters  generally  in  such  an  off- 
hand manner. 

The  dresses  of  all  three  were  alike  nearly  in  every  partic- 
ular. 

The  only  mark  of  distinction  between  them  was  a  small 
straight  feather  they  wore  in  their  caps. 

One  wore  a  yellow  feather. 

Another  had  a  feather  of  brilliant  red. 

The  third  one's  feather  was  of  a  bright  emerald  green. 

Now  these  feathers  were  small,  but  yet,  by  reason  of  the 
conspicuous  colours,  could  be  seen  at  a  considerable  dis- 
tance. 

"  What  is  it  you  have  discovered  ?  "  asked  the  captain. 

"  Out  with  it,  Hunston,"  said  Toro,  in  his  old  impatient 
way. 

"  Well,  in  the  first  place,"  was  Hunston's  reply,  "  our  letters 
to  old  Mole  and  to  the  girl  Marietta  were  perfectly  successful." 

"  Of  course." 

"The  vanity  of  the  one,  and  the  conceit  of  the  other, 
made  it  an  easy  matter." 

"  It  did." 

"  I  saw  the  interview  from  a  snug  place  of  concealment, 
and  took  care  to  let  her  know  it." 

"  How  ? " 

"  By  humming  her  song  which  you  heard  her  sing  up  at 
the  villa." 

The  latter  looked  somewhat  alarmed  at  this. 

"  Was  that  prudent  ?  " 

"  Of  course  she  did  not  see  me,  only  we  must  get  a  thor- 
ough hold  over  this  girl,  so  as  to  have  her  as  an  accomplice 
in  the  enemy's  camp  always." 

"  Good." 

"  Now  let  us  get  back  to  the  ball-room,  and  see  what  is  to 
be  picked  up  there." 


22  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

Back  they  went,  and  arrived  in  the  large  ball-room  just  as 
a  dance  was  being  got  up. 

The  three  diabolical  companions  deemed  it  prudent  now  to 
separate,  that  no  undue  attention  might  be  drawn  upon  their 
movements. 

And  they  went  sauntering  about  the  rooms,  each  upon 
the  look-out  for  any  slice  of  luck  which  might  turn  up. 

Hunston  had  added  a  long  red  cloak  to  his  costume,  so  as 
to  envelope  his  figure  and  cover  his  arm,  for  fear  of  ac- 
cidentally running  across  Harkaway  or  Harvey,  or  in  fact, 
any  of  the  party. 

In  this  cloak  he  was  wrapped,  and  silently  watching  two 
young  and  lovely  girls,  whose  grace  and  elegance  were  com' 
manding  universal  admiration. 

One  was  fair  as  a  lily,  with  light,  golden,  wavy  hair,  and 
full  blue  eyes. 

This  beautiful  girl  it  was  who  excited  Hunston's  curiosity. 

"  Who  can  she  be  ?  Perhaps  Harvey's  daughter,"  he 
thought. 

Now  these  two  were  equally  lovely  to  gaze  upon,  the 
beauty  of  each  being  of  a  totally  different  character. 

"  If  we  can  but  spirit  little  Emily  away  to  the  mountains," 
said  Hunston  to  himself,  "  I  shall  be  able  to  repay  them  for 
all  I  have  suffered.  Nay,  more,  I  shall  be  able  to  satisfy 
the  greed  of  Mathias  and  the  band,  by  making  the  accursed 
Harkaway  disgorge  some  of  his  enormous  wealth." 

A  hand  was  placed  upon  his  shoulder. 

"  Hah ! " 

"  It  is  I,"  said  a  voice  in  his  ear. 

And  looking  up,  he  beheld  the  devil  in  the  red  feather. 

"  Mathias." 

"  Hush  !  I  have  to  rejoin  a  lady  now,  to  whom  I  am 
engaged  for  the  dance." 

"  The  dance  !  " 

Mathias  nodded. 

"  She  accepted  at  once  a  dance  with  the  devil  ;  I'll  lead 
her  a  devii  of  a  dance." 

And  the  brigand  captain  Jaughed  hugely  at  his  own 
conceit. 

But  Hunston  was  not  in  laughing  humour. 

"  I'm  glad  to  find  you  so  merry,  captain." 

The  Greek  did  not  observe  his  gloomy  manner  ;  he  only 
replied — 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  23 

"  You  will  be  merry,  too,  when  I  tell  you  the  cause." 

"  I  have  no  thought  for  the  pleasures  of  these  fools,"  said 
Hunston,  gruffly  ;  "  I  only  think  of  business." 

"I  too." 

"  And  yet  you  are  going  to  dance,  Captain  Mathias." 

"  For  business  reasons,  solely,"  said  the  Greek. 

"  Ho  ho  !  " 

"  My  partner  is  positively  bristling  with  diamonds,"  said 
the  brigand,  significantly. 

Hunston  was  interested  immediately. 

"  Diamonds  ? " 

"  Aye  !  diamonds  ;  and  such  diamonds,  too.  There  is  one 
as  big  as  a  nut,  I  swear." 

"  I  must  see  this  lady." 

"  You  shall." 

"  Where  is  she  to  be  seen  ?  " 

"  Come  with  me,"  said  the  captain. 

Away  they  went,  squeezing  through  the  crowds  of  dancers 
and  maskers,  until  they  came  to  the  smaller  ball-room,  where 
a  lady  stood  in  conversation  with  a  big  man,  admirably  got 
up  as  a  knight  of  the  olden  time. 

The  lady  Hunston  recognised  at  a  glance,  from  the  de- 
scription which  Mathias  had  given  of  her  jewels. 

Her  finely-rounded  arms  were  encircled  by  bracelets,  set 
with  the  richest  diamonds,  that  matched  a  necklet  of  priceless 
worth  apparently. 

She  wore  a  tiara,  too,  of  the  same  costly  making  and 
setting. 

The  dance  began. 

It  was  a  waltz. 

Now  the  gallant  Mathias  acquitted  himself  to  perfection 
in  the  dance,  carrying  his  fair  and  richly-attired  partner  through 
the  crowded  room  without  getting  at  all  jostled  by  the 
dancers. 

Hunston  followed  their  movements  with  the  greatest  pos- 
sible interest,  and  as  they  shot  past  him  for  the  third  time 
round  the  room,  he  contrived  to  take  from  the  Greek  captain's 
hand  one  of  the  lady's  bracelets  which  he  had  with  some 
dexterity  removed. 

The  next  round  he  was  less  successful. 

As  they  shot  past,  the  brigand's  hand  was  outstretched, 
but  Hunston  missed  it,  and  a  glittering  object  dropped  to 
the  floor. 


24  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOWS 

Hunston  stooped  to  recover  it,  when — 

"  The  lady  has  dropped  something,"  said  a  voice  in  his  ear. 

"  What  lady  ?  "  he  demanded,  recovering  himself  quickly. 

"  The  contessa." 

"  Ah  !  I  see.     But  was  it  the  contessa  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes." 

"  Are  you  sure  ? " 

"  Yes.     It  is  the  lady  dancing  with  your  half-brother." 

"Eh  !" 

Hunston  started  a  little  after  these  words. 

They  sounded  very  unpleasantly  in  his  ear. 

He  had  evidently  been  associated  with  Mathias  by  the 
speaker. 

Now  the  latter  was  a  strange-looking  little  being. 

A  stunted  man,  with  broad,  square  shoulders,  and  got  up  to 
represent  the  description  which  Victor  Hugo  has  given  us  of 
his  creation  of  Quasimodo. 

"  That  is  the  contessa  ?  "  said  Hunston,  recovering  his 
presence  of  mind. 

"  Yes." 

"  I  am  very  glad  of  it,  for  I  shall  be  able  to  restore  this  to 
its  proper  owner." 

"  Of  course." 

Hunston  arose,  and  with  a  slight  inclination  of  the  head, 
crossed  the  room,  as  if  in  search  of  the  contessa. 

The  dwarf  regarded  him  eagerly  as  he  went. 

"  That's  a  rum  one,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  He  means  to 
pocket  the  contessa's  bracelet.  What  a  swindle  !  I  thought 

there  was  something  more  devilish  about  him  than  his  dress." 

****** 

Hunston  fled  precipitately  to  the  gardens. 

Close  by  the  spot  where  he  had  previously  met  his  com- 
panions in  crime,  there  was  a  man  awaiting  him  with  a  big 
bundle. 

"  Matteo,  is  it  you  ? " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Good  ;  give  me  the  other  dress  out.  Quick  !  I  must 
change,  and  be  back  before  my  absence  can  be  noticed." 

As  he  spoke,  he  had  already  torn  from  the  hands  of  the 
man  Matteo  a  pair  of  trunks  of  blue  cloth  slashed  with  amber 
silk,  and  quick  as  an  eye  could  wink,  he  was  into  them. 

And  then  he  fastened  on  a  similarly  coloured  mantle. 

"Tell  me,  Matteo,  does  that  change  me  ?  " 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  2* 

«' Yes,  perfectly." 

"  Good  !  take  this." 

"  What,  jewels  ?  " 

"  Hush  !  hear  all,  see  all,  and  say  nothing.  Away  with 
you,  now." 

"  Yes.     Where  to  ? " 

"  Back  to  the  mountains,  where  we  can  always  guard  what 
we  ourselves  have  made." 

"True." 

Just  then  there  was  a  commotion  in  the  ball-room,  and  a 
voice  was  heard  to  cry  out — 

"  The  contessa  has  lost  her  richest  diamonds  and  other 
precious  stones.  There  are  robbers  here.  No  one  must 
leave  the  grounds." 

"  By  Heaven  !  "  ejaculated  Hunston  ;  "  we  are  lost." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

HUNSTON'S  ADVENTURE — MOLE  IN  A  MAZE — HE  MEETS  AN  EVIL 

SPIRIT GROSS  OUTRAGE  ON  HIS  WOODEN   LEGS — MATHIAS 

IN  TROUBLE — THE  ASSASSIN'S  KNIFE. 

QUASIMODO,  who  had  detected  one  of  the  devils,  was 
Magog  Brand. 

The  audacity  of  the  fearless  Greek  had  carried  him  through 
so  far,  but  Quasimodo  had  spoilt  him  at  last. 

A  number  of  gentlemen  in  the  company  began  to  inquire 
very  minutely  into  the  affair. 

Prominent  amongst  them  was  Harkaway. 

He  and  Jefferson,  prompt  to  act  as  ever,  inquired  into 
the  circumstances  of  this  gross  outrage,  and  then  it  was  elicited 
that  the  depredator  was  seen  last  in  diabolical  costume. 

"  A  devil  !  "  ejaculated  one  of  the  company.  "  Of  course, 
I  saw  the  man  myself." 

"  I  too,"  said  another. 

"  Yes,  he  wore  a  red  feather  in  his  high-crowned  hat." 

"  No,"  said  another ;  "  a  feather,  it  is  true,  but  the  feather 
was  green,  I  am  sure." 

Upon  this,  Magog  Brand  came  forward. 

"  I  saw  it  all  done,"  he  said.     "  I  saw  the  man  who  did  it" 

"  What,  rob  the  contessa  ?  " 


26  JACK  HARK  A  WAY  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

"  Yes,  and  as  soon  as  I  saw  what  it  meant,  I  gave  the 
alarm  ;  but  the  devil  disappeared  like  greased  lightning." 

"  There !  "  exclaimed  half  a  dozen  at  once,  "  I  said  it  was 
the  devil." 

' '  Yes,"  added  one  of  the  guests,  eagerly.  "  What  coloured 
feather  had  he  ? " 

"  Red,"  ejaculated  another,  immediately. 

"  Green,"  retorted  the  opposite  faction,  loudly,  but  Magog 
Brand  said — 

"  It  was  neither  red  nor  green,"  said  he,  "  but  a  bright 
yellow." 

Now,  while  this  inquiry  was  being  proceeded  with,  nobody 
happened  to  observe  one  singular  circumstance. 

That  was  the  presence,  the  whole  of  the  time,  in  the  motley- 
coloured  crowd,  of  one  of  the  diabolical  trio  in  question. 

This  very  devil  no  sooner  heard  the  question  raised  about 
the  coloured  feathers  in  their  head  gear,  than  he  doffed  his 
hat  unperceived  and  pulled  out  the  feather. 

And  then,  as  the  controversy  grew  warmer,  he  sneaked 
off. 

He  made  all  possible  haste  for  the  garden  gate. 

Once  here  he  was  about  to  rush  through,  when  he  was  ac- 
costed by  two  men,  whose  uniform  gave  him  an  unpleasant 
twinge. 

They  were  gendarmes. 

"  You  cannot  leave  the  ground  yet,  sir,"  said  one  of  them 
sharply. 

"  I  don't  wish  to,"  replied  the  devil,  promptly.  "  I  come 
to  bring  you  orders." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  the  gendarme. 

"  A  robbery  has  been  committed." 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  That  is  the  reason  you  have  had  your  orders  to  guard 
the  gate.  Oh,  you  know  it.  Well,  what  you  don't  know  is 
that  the  robbery  is  supposed  to  have  been  committed  by  a 
masker  dressed  as  I  am.  Take  particular  note  of  my  dress." 

"  Yes,  sir." 

The  gendarme  grinned  as  he  said  this. 

"  Keep  your  eyes  open.  These  are  the  contessa's  partio- 
ular  orders." 

"  Trust  me,  sir." 

"  There  is  a  reward  if  you  capture  the  thief." 

The  gendarme  laughed  at  this,  and  said,  with  an  air  of 
self-confidence — 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  27 

"  I  think  I  shall  get  him." 

The  merry  devil  slapped  the  gendarme  upon  the  back 
heartily. 

"  You  are  the  sort  of  man  for  my  money." 

Saying  which,  he  turned  and  left  the  spot. 

Making  his  way  to  a  place  in  the  grounds  previously  agreed 
upon,  he  ran  across  the  brigand  Matteo  armed  with  a  change 
of  dress  for  him. 

The  spot  selected  was  up  one  of  the  narrowest  alleys  in 
the  grounds,  at  the  end  of  which  was  a  species  of  Hampton 
Court  maze  in  miniature. 

Just  as  the  diabolical  one  was  about  to  divest  himself  of 
half  of  his  skin,  Matteo  gave  the  alarm. 

"  The  devil !  "  ejaculated  the  masker,  which  was,  perhaps, 
the  most  natural  exclamation  he  could  make,  all  things 
considered.  "What  can  this  be?  Somebody  watched  me 
here." 

He  waited  a  minute  or  so  in  anxiety. 

An  unsteady  footfall  was  heard  upon  the  gravel  walk,  and 
a  man  in  a  cloak  came  staggering  along. 

"  They  may  call  this  a  grand  flte  if  they  like,"  he  mum- 
bled. "  I  call  it  a  shabby  affair.  Why,  there's  not  a  respec- 
table drink  in  the  place.  The  lucky  thing  is  that  I  have  pro- 
vided my  own." 

He  had  a  bottle  with  him,  and  he  sucked  at  it  from  time 
to  time  as  he  staggered  on,  until  all  of  a  sudden  he  ran  on 
to  the  alarmed  masker,  who  was  growing  impatient  to  change 
his  garments. 

The  staggering  one  looked  up,  and  seeing  such  an  alarm- 
ing figure  towering  over  him,  he  gave  a  wild  howl  and  fled. 

"  The  devil !  the  devil !  "  he  shouted,wildly.  "Help  !  help !  " 

"  Stop  that  fool,  Matteo,  or  he  will  bring  the  whole  house 
down  about  our  ears." 

Matteo  seized  the  merrymaker,  and  was  about  to  make 
short  work  with  him,  when  his  superior  held  his  hand. 

"Put  by  your  knife,"  he  said;  "not  that.  Hold  him 
tight  and  threaten  him  ;  but  no  knife." 

But  for  this  timely  interference,  it  would  have  gone  hard 
with  the  unfortunate  new-comer,  who  was  our  old  friend  Mole. 

Mole,  it  should  be  noted,  had  been  compelled  to  change 
his  cork  legs,  on  which  he  could  scarcely  stand,  for  his  old, 
familiar  stumps,  which  Harvey  had  brought  with  him  in 
case  any  accident  should  occur. 


28  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  Forgive  me,  Mr.  Devil,"  he  implored,  in  drunken  tones, 
"  oh,  forgive  me." 

"  Mole  ! "  exclaimed  the  devil,  in  a  thrilling  voice,  "  your 
evil  deeds  are  known  to  me." 

'  Oh,  oh,  oh  !  "  groaned  the  wretched  Isaac,  piteously. 

'  Your  time  has  come." 

'  Mercy,  mercy !  "  gasped  Mole. 

'  Never." 

'Give  me  a  little  time,  Mr.  Devil." 

•No." 

'  Oh,  do,  do,  for  the  sake  of  my  twins,"  said  Mole,  in 
his  most  persuasive  manner,  "  and  I'll  stand  any  thing  you 
like  to — hie — to  name.  Don't  take  me  away,  but  come  and 
liquor  up  with  me." 

"  Silence  !  "  thundered  the  irritable  devil. 

"  I'm  dumb." 

"  Away  with  you,  and  repent." 

Mole  staggered  off. 

As  soon  as  he  was  gone,  Matteo  assisted  his  master  to 
change  his  garments,  and  in  the  space  of  five  minutes  at  the 
outside,  the  devil  disappeared,  and  was  replaced  by  a  gay 
cavalier,  habited  in  a  rich  costume  of  blue  slashed  with 
amber,  and  a  broad-brimmed  sombrero. 

The  excitement  occasioned  by  the  impudent  robbery  of 
the  contessa  Maraviglia's  jewels  had  not  by  any  means  sub- 
sided, so  the  confusion  prevailing  in  consequence  was  highly 
favourable  to  Hunston's  new  villany  for  trapping  little  Emily. 

Nearing  the  entrance  to  the  ball-room,  he  came  to  a  con- 
servatory, into  which  Mr.  Mole  had  strolled,  or  let  us  say 
staggered,  and  then  dropped  into  a  seat. 

Hunston  glided  in  unperceived  by  Mole,  and  concealed 
himself  behind  some  thick  shrubs  close  to  him. 

Mole  was  bent  upon  making  himself  comfortable. 

The  irrepressible  bottle  was  out  again. 

"  I  feel,"  mumbled  Mole,  little  thinking  there  was  a  lis- 
tener near,  "  I  feel  that  I  am  a  devil  of  a  fellow.  All  the 
ladies  love  me,  and  all  the  men  fear  me.  I'm  too  much  for 
anyone  of  them,  ha,  ha,  ha !  I've  taken  a  rise  out  of  the 
devil  himself." 

Here  he  had  a  suck  at  the  bottle. 

"  I'm  getting  quite  familiar  with  evil  spirits  to-night,"  he 
said  grinning ;  "  I  don't  think  he  will  see  me  again  in  a 
hurry — he,  he  !  " 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  29 

He  raised  the  bottle  again  to  his  lips,  when  a  ghostly  voice 
sounded  in  his  ear — 

"  Beware  ! " 

He  turned  pale,  and  then  got  very  red  in  the  face. 

"  Who's  there  ? "  said  Mole,  looking  nervously  round ;. 
"  come  in,  don't  knock  ;  what  a  fool  I  am." 

"  Remember  !  "  said  the  same  hollow  voice  as  before. 

"  Oh,  Lor',  oh,  Lor' !  "  cried  Mole ;  "  I'm  gone ;  he's  there 
again." 

"  Beware  ! " 

"  I'm  gone,  I'm  going,"  cried  Mole ;  "  oh,  Lor',  oh, 
Lor' ! " 

And  off  he  ran,  Hunston  following  closely  behind  him. 

Now  Hunston  got  near  enough  to  him  to  see  that  he  was 
really  trying  to  get  little  Emily  and  Paquita  to  take  care  of 
him  for  a  time,  and  walk  with  him  in  the  grounds. 

"  There  will  be  two  of  them  to  take  care  of,"  said  Hunston, 
following  them  up  as  closely  as  was  prudent  ;  "  that  com- 
plicates matters.  I  hope  Matteo  has  taken  his  measures 
carefully." 

Matteo  had. 

They  drew  near  to  the  entrance  of  the  maze,  and  then 
Hunston  began  to  look  anxiously  about  him  for  Matteo  and 
the  rest  of  their  accomplices. 

"  I  think  we  had  better  return,"  he  heard  little  Emily  say. 

Suddenly  a  whistle  was  blown,  and  five  or  six  men  sprang 
out  from  the  maze. 

In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  record  the  outrage,  the  two 
girls  were  seized  and  borne  off  in  stout,  relentless  arms,  their 
cries  being  stifled  by  thick  wraps  thrown  over  their  heads. 

"  To  the  small  gate,"  exclaimed  Hunston. 

Mole  recognised  the  familiar  voice  of  Hunston,  and  the 
whole  danger  flashed  into  his  mind  at  once,  sobering  him 
most  effectually. 

"  Hunston,  you  villain,  I  know  you  ! "  he  cried.  "  And  J 
will  lose  my  life  rather  than  harm  should  come  to  these 
dear  girls." 

Hunston  turned  and  faced  him  savagely. 

"  If  you  know  me,  Mole,"  he  said  meaningly,  "  then  be- 
ware of  me." 

Mole's  only  reply  was  to  grapple  with  him  with  all  his 
strength. 

But  the  foolish  old  man  was  hurled  to  the  ground,  and. 


30  JA  CK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

then  one  of  the  brigands  fell  upon  him,  brandishing  a  huge 
knife. 

Hunston  here  interfered,  and  gave  a  command  which  made 
the  men  laugh  very  heartily. 

A  fresh  outrage  was  perpetrated,  and  in  the  space  of 
two  minutes,  Mr.  Mole  found  himself  alone,  and  on  his 
back. 

"  Hunston,  you  black-hearted  thief,"  he  cried,  "  I'll  follow 
you  if " 

He  tried  to  rise,  but  down  he  went  again. 

He  was  lop-sided. 

And  why  ? 

The  brigands  had  amputated  one  of  his  wooden  legs. 


Leaving  them  for  a  moment,  let  us  return  to  Mathias. 

That  daring  scoundrel  was  not  satisfied  with  having  es- 
caped a  great  danger  scot  free,  and  made  a  very  rich  prize, 
but  he  must  needs  return  to  the  Palazzo  Maraviglia  in  another 
dress,  in  quest  of  fresh  plunder. 

The  fact  was  that  he  was  flushed  with  wine. 

Else  he  would  have  thought  twice  of  returning. 

Mingling  with  the  crowd  in  the  large  ball-room,  he  came  to 
a  group  discussing  the  late  robbery  in  great  excitement,  and 
as  he  was  pressing  forward  to  learn  what  he  could,  he  be- 
came entangled  in  a  lady's  lace  flounces. 

He  turned  sharply  to  apologise,  and  recognised  the  figure 
at  once. 

"  The  lovely  Marietta,"  Mathias  exclaimed. 

She  heard  him,  and  made  off  to  the  other  end  of  the  room, 
closely  followed  by  Mathias,  who  had  conceived  a  violent 
fancy  for  her. 

"  Stay,  Senorita,"  he  exclaimed,  seizing  her  hand. 

"  What  do  you  want  with  me  ? "  said  Marietta. 

"  Only  to  plead " 

"Nonsense,"  she  exclaimed,  interrupting  him  abruptly; 
"  you  don't  know  me." 

"  Let  me  plead " 

"  Bother ! " 

"  Nay,"  said  the  persistent  robber,  "  if  you  will  not  hear  me 
speak,  hear  me  sing." 

And  then,  being  an  admirable  mimic,  he  imitated  her  strut 
before  the  looking-glass,  and  general  coquettish  behaviour 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


3« 


in  the  dressing-room  at  the  villa,  while  he  sang  in  a  falsetto 
voice — 

M  Sweet  Marietta, 

Rarely  has  been 
A  sweeter  or  better 

Face  or  form  seen. 
Dear  Marietta! " 

"  Hah  !  "  cried  the  girl,  starting  back  as  if  she  had  been 
shot. 

Her  first  impulse  was  to  faint. 

But  as  soon  as  she  gained  the  cooler  air  without,  she  re- 
covered, and  collecting  her  senses  a  little,  she  gave  a  pretty 
shrewd  guess  at  the  truth. 

She  was  silly,  yet  not  a  bad-natured  girl. 

She  saw  her  duty  plainly  enough. 

She  must  make  herself  known  at  once  to  her  master. 

Harkaway  was  close  at  hand,  discussing  the  robbery  still 
with  Jefferson. 

The  whole  of  this  party  were  of  course  known  to  Marietta ; 
so  she  made  straight  up  to  Harkaway,  and  said  hurriedly — 

"  Have  that  man  seized,  sir — see,  that  one  who  is  follow- 
ing me.  I  am  Marietta.  He  has  just  said  something  to  me 
which  convinces  me  that  he  was  hiding  in  the  villa  to-night." 

"  Hullo  !  "  exclaimed  Harkaway,  not  a  little  startled  at 
this  sudden  address  ;  "  why,  what  in  Heaven's  name " 

"  Lose  no  time,"  interrupted  Marietta  eagerly,  "  or  he  will 
go — see,  he  has  taken  the  alarm." 

"  The  girl's  right,"  said  Jefferson,  striding  off  after  Ma- 
thias. 

The  latter  now  began  to  perceive  that  he  had  made  a  false 
step,  and  he  hurried  through  the  crowded  room  towards  the 
door,  and  was  just  passing  out,  when  a  dwarfed  and  ugly 
figure  leaped  upon  him. 

So  sudden  was  the  attack  that  Mathias  was  capsized,  and 
together  they  rolled  upon  the  floor. 

"  Let  go ! "  said  the  Greek  fiercely,  "  or  I'll " 

"  Not  me  ! "  exclaimed  Magog  Brand — for  he  was  the 
Greek's  assailant.  "  I  know  you,  my  yellow-feathered  devil, 
even  though  you  have  shed  your  skin  ! ' 

"  Let  go,"  hissed  the  Greek  brigand,  with  compressed  lips, 
"or  I '11  have  your  life!" 

"  I'll  not  let  go,"  cried  the  brave  little  Brand.  "  I  have 
got  you,  villain,  and  will  hold  you.  Ah  !  " 


^ 2  /A CK  HA RKA WAY  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

Mathias  scrambled  up,  and  tried  to  fly,  but  he  was  met 
with  a  blow  from  Jefferson's  fist  which  might  have  felled  an 
ox  in  the  shambles. 

He  dropped  lifeless  on  the  ground  beside  Magogi 

And  then  a  sudden  outcry  arose,  for  it  was  found  that  in 
that  brief  struggle  poor  Magog  Brand  had  been  cruelly  used. 

A  Iong-blade4  poignard  was  buried  up  to  the  hilt  in  his 
side. 

Poor  Brand. 

Death  must  have  been  almost  instantaneous. 

They  tore  the  mask  from  Mathias'  face,  and  thereupon  an 
agent  of  the  secret  police  stepped  forward  and  made  known 
who  it  was. 

"  This  is  the  notorious  Mathias,"  he  said.  "  One  of  the 
most  daring  of  the  brigands  hereabouts ;  we  have  been  want- 
ing him  badly  for  some  time  past." 

"  You  have  got  him,"  said  Harkaway,  "  but  oh  ! "  he  added, 
glancing  at  the  lifeless  form  of  Magog  Brand,  "  at  what  a 
price  for  us  !  " 

At  this  juncture  Harvey  reached  the  spot,  and  taking  in 
the  whole  scene  at  a  glance,  he  dropped  on  his  knees  beside 
the  body  of  Magog  Brand,  where  Jefferson  was  already  kneel- 
ing, seemingly  half  stupefied  by  the  catastrophe. 

"  He  has  fainted,"  said  he  to  Harvey. 

Harvey  shook  his  head  mournfully. 

"  He'll  never  faint  again,  Jefferson." 

"  What  ? " 

"  Never." 

"  You  surely — no,  no,  Brand,  dear  old  boy,  look  up." 

He  faltered  and  broke  down. 

"Yes,  Jefferson,"  said  Harvey  in  deep  emotion.  "Poor 
Magog-  Brand  is  at  the  end  of  his  troubles  and  pleasures  alike 
—he  is  dead  1 " 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  33 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  PURSUIT  OF  THE  BRIGANDS — THE  BATTLE — VARYING 
FORTUNES — HOW  HUNSTON  AND  TORO  WERE  LAID  BY  THE 
HEELS. 

CONSTERNATION  was  upon  every  face. 

The  catastrophe  was  so  sudden  and  unlocked  for,  that  the 
people  about  were  half  stupefied  with  fear. 

On  one  side  lay  poor  Magog  Brand,  lately  so  full  of  life 
and  animation. 

On  the  other  was  his  assassin,  felled  by  the  dead  man's 
best  friend,  the  doughty  Jefferson,  and  with  scarcely  more 
life  in  him  than  his  victim. 

And  while  the  people  were  staring  hopelessly  at  each  other 
thus,  a  voice  was  heard  giving  the  alarm  hard  by. 

"  Poor  Brand,  your  murderer  shall  not  escape,"  said  Jeffer- 
son bitterly. 

The  noise  continued,  and  presently  the  voice  was  recog- 
nised. 

"  It  is  Mole,"  cried  Harkaway. 

He  was  right. 

Just  then  the  poor  old  gentleman  appeared  upon  the  scene. 

'  Harkaway,  Jefferson,  Harvey  !  "  he  cried. 

'  What's  the  matter  ?  " 

'  Murder !  "  returned  Mole.     "  Hunston  is  here." 

'  By  Heaven  !     I  thought  it,"  ejaculated  Jefferson. 

'  He  has  carried  off  Emily  and  Paquita." 

'What?" 

'  I  interfered,  but  they  were  too  many  for  me.  See  how 
they  have  used  me." 

'  Was  he  with  the  brigands  ? "  demanded  Harkaway. 

'  I  suppose  so.     A  whole  mob  of  ruffians." 

'  Where  are  they  gone  ?  " 

'  By  the  small  gate." 

A  hurried  explanation  ensued  with  the  agent  of  the  secret 
police,  who  gave  them  a  few  words  of  comfort. 

"  He'll  never  be  able  to  pass  my  men  at  the  gate,"  said  the 
officer,  with  great  confidence. 
3 


34  JA  CK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON  >S 

This  was  doubtful. 

They  knew  too  well  Hunston's  boldness  and  audacity. 

But  they  lost  no  time  in  getting  up  a  pursuit. 

The  contessa's  stables  were  well  furnished,  and  two  horses 
were  speedily  saddled  for  Harkaway  and  Jefferson. 

Harvey,  too  impatient  to  wait  for  a  mount,  had  rushed  wildly 
away  in  the  direction  of  the  small  gate,  followed  by  Mr. 

Mole. 

Here  he  saw  to  his  dismay  that  a  scramble  had  taken 
place,  in  which  the  gendarmes  had  got  decidedly  the  worst  of 
it. 

The  two  who  had  been  on  guard  at  the  gate  had  got  very 
roughly  handled,  one  having  a  broken  crown  and  the  other 
showing  an  ugly  wound  in  the  side. 

"  They  have  gone  this  way,  then  ? "  exclaimed  Harvey, 
eagerly. 

"Yes." 

"  Which  way  ?  " 

"  They  made  for  the  right,"  faltered  one  of  the  wounded 
men. 

"  Is  it  long  ?  " 

"  No  ;  a  few  moments." 

"They  can  not  get  far,"  said  the  gendarme  with  the 
broken  pate;  "the  two  girls  were  struggling  hard  with  him." 

"  Hurrah  !  "  cried  Harvey.     "  I'll  save  my  child  yet." 

"  You  are  not  the  first  in  the  hunt,"  said  the  other  gen- 
darme, speaking  with  evident  pain  ;  "  there  are  two  black  men 
after  .them." 

"  That  must  be  Sunday  and  Monday,"  exclaimed  Harvey. 

And  off  he  ran. 

He  bounded  over  the  ground  like  a  deer,  and  when  he  got 
about  half  a  mile  further  on,  he  came  suddenly  upon  two 
men  struggling. 

One  of  them  was  a  negro. 

Who,  in  fact,  but  our  old  friend  the  Prince  of  Limbi,  the 
faithful  Monday  ? 

The  other  was  one  of  the  Greeks,  a  face  unknown  to 
Harvey,  but  one  who  has  already  figured  in  these  pages. 

Matteo ! 

And  lying  on  the  ground  near  him  was  a  brigand  struck 
down  dead  by  brave  Monday. 

As  Harvey  came  up,  it  was  nearing  the  end  of  what  had 
been  a  precious  tough  jfight. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


35 


Monday  was  uppermost,  and  Matteo,  who  had  gradually 
succumbed  to  the  wiry  negro,  was  by  this  time  in  a  very 
queer  way  indeed. 

Monday  held  him  by  the  throat,  and  in  spite  of  his  des- 
perate efforts  to  set  himself  free,  Matteo  had  lost  his  breath. 

And  there  he  lay  completely  at  the  negro's  mercy. 

"  There,  you  dam  tief !  "  exclaimed  the  Prince  of  Limbi, 
"  take  dat,  an'  dat,  an'  dat,  an'  now,  be  golly,  have  dis  for  a 
little  bit  in." 

At  every  word  he  pressed  harder  and  harder  and  jerked 
his  adversary  back. 

The  "  little  bit  in  "  settled  Matteo  completely. 

Something  seemed  to  crack  in  the  wretched  Greek's  throat, 
and  he  dropped  back. 

"  Monday,  Monday  ! "  said  Harvey,  eagerly,  "  where  are 
they  ? " 

"  Hullo,  Massa  Dick !  "  said  faithful  Monday ;  "  I'se  gwine 
to  give  this  fellar  toko  an'  den  I'll  jine  yar." 

"  He's  done  for,"  said  Dick,  hastily.     "  Come  now." 
.  "  He  might  come  too,"  said  Monday,  in  some  doubt. 

"  No  fear." 

"  Perhaps." 

"  Why.  he'll  never  trouble  anyone  more,"  returned  Hal 
vey  ;  "  tell  me,  where  have  they  gone  ?  " 

"  They  went  straight  on." 

"This  road?" 

"  Yes." 

"  Good.     Come  or  stay.     I'll  go,"  exclaimed  Harvey. 

And  off  he  ran. 

Monday  gave  his  silent  enemy  a  shake  to  see  if  it  was  all 
over. 

"  He's  a  gone  coon,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  I'll  bolt  off 
after  Massa  Dick." 

Away  he  ran  at  a  good  swinging  trot. 

In  about  ten  minutes  more  he  came  up  with  him. 

And  this  was  under  the  most  alarming  circumstances. 

Not  very  long  after  this  a  horseman  dashed  up  to  the  spot, 
and  only  drew  rein  to  give  a  glance  at  the  lifeless  form  of 
the  wretched  Matteo. 

"He's  dead,"  said  the  horseman,  who  was  none  other 
than  Jack  Harkaway.  "This  looks  like  some  of  Dick's 
handiwork.  Dick  or  some  of  our  party.  I  hope  Dick  is 
safe." 


36  JA CK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

Saying  which,  he  whipped  up  his  horse,  and  tore  on  at  a 
mad  gallop. 

A  very  few  moments  after  this  he  came  up  with  the  brig- 
ands with  their  captives. 

Just  in  the  nick  of  time. 

Hunston  and  Toro  were  there  both  with  their  hands  full, 
while  the  Greeks  had  all  their  work  to  do  to  take  care  of  the 
two  captive  girls. 

Little  Emily  and  Paquita,  having  now  recovered  from 
their  surprise,  were  lending  assistance  to  the  cause  by  keep- 
ing all  the  Greeks  fully  occupied  in  looking  after  them. 

And  while  they  were  thus  occupied,  Sunday  and  Dick 
Harvey  were  engaged  with  Toro  and  Hunston. 

Dick  had  rushed  so  violently  upon  Hunston  that  the  latter 
was  toppled  over,  and  it  looked  as  though  Harvey  was  about 
to  make  short  work  with  their  old  enemy. 

But  alas  for  Sunday  ! 

The  poor  negro  was  overmatched. 

His  heart  was  good,  but  the  weight  and  enormous  strength 
of  the  Italian  were  too  much  for  him  to  vanquish. 

That  he  had  not  as  yet  succumbed  to  Toro,  was  due  only 
to  his  vastly  superior  agility  and  activity. 

It  was  all  in  vain  for  the  Italian  ruffian  to  try  and  close 
with  him. 

Sunday  would  not  have  this. 

He  knew  that  his  chance  lay  in  keeping  Toro  at  a  respect- 
ful distance. 

And  so  he  danced  round  him,  dropping  in  an  occasional 
smart  rap  which  goaded  the  Italian  to  fury. 

"  Help !  "  cried  Hunston.  "  Cut  him  down  !  cut  him 
down  !  " 

One  of  the  brigands  rushed  at  Harvey  knife  in  hand,  and 
thus  created  a  momentary  diversion  in  his  favour. 

Had  not  Harkaway  just  then  appeared  upon  the  scene  it 
might  have  gone  hard  with  his  comrade  Dick. 

Prompt,  however,  to  act  at  this  critical  juncture,  Harkaway 
spurred  his  horse  into  the  group  and  rode  them  down. 

Then  reining  up,  he  flung  himself  from  his  horse,  and 
went  into  the  melee. 

"  I'm  in  it,  Dick,  old  boy,"  cried  Jack  ;  "  here's  one  for 
Harkaway." 

"  Hurrah ! "  shouted  Dick,  in  great  excitement.  "  A 
Harkaway  !  a  Harkaway  to  the  rescue  !  " 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


37 


Toro  turned  to  Harkaway  with  a  cry  of  rage. 

"  Curse  you  1 "  he  exclaimed ;  "  I'll  have  your  life  now, 
or  you  shall  have  mine." 

"  By  all  means,"  said  old  Jack,  cheerfully. 

"  Cur  !  " 

"  Come,  now,"  said  Harkaway,  with  subdued  rage,  "  I  can't 
stand  that ;  take  this !  " 

And  before  Toro  knew  where  he  was,  he  got  it. 

It  was  not  as  pleasant  as  he  could  have  wished  when  he 
did  get  it. 

A  devi  lof  a  thud  it  came  upon  his  nose,  a  fair  blow 
with  Harkaway's  fist,  and  being  delivered  straight  from  the 
shoulder,  it  seemed  to  the  Italian  like  the  kick  of  a  don- 
key. 

Toro  shook  all  over. 

His  eyes  flashed  fireworks,  and  he  was  half  stunned  for 
the  moment. 

Harkaway's  triumph  was  but  temporary. 

One  of  the  Greeks,  who  was  watching  the  conflict  between 
these  giants  of  the  combat  in  great  interest,  had  by  now  crept 
up  behind  Jack,  and  seizing  him  suddenly  round  the  middle, 
hurled  him  to  the  ground. 

"  Ha,  ha  !  "  yelled  Toro. 

And  bounding  forward,  he  fell  upon  Harkaway,  knife  in 
hand. 

"At  last,  at  last,  your  life  is  in  my  hands,"  he  cried  in 
fiend-lilce  joy. 

The  knife  gleamed  in  the  air. 

A  piercing  shriek  from  little  Emily  was  heard. 

A  cry  of  fear  from  Paquita,  and  suddenly  the  latter,  dis- 
engaging herself  from  her  captors,  bounded  forward  and 
seized  Toro  by  the  hair. 

She  dragged  him  back  with  all  her  strength,  and  little  as 
it  was,  it  saved  the  life  of  Jack  Harkaway. 

Jack  put  forth  all  his  strength  at  this  most  critical  junc- 
ture, and  succeeded  in  grappling  once  more  with  his  her- 
culean opponent. 

Toro  lost  his  balance. 

A  moment  more  and  he  was  rolling  upon  the  ground  in 
deadly  battle  with  brave  Jack  Harkaway. 

So  fierce  a  strife  could  not  last  long. 

In  the  heat  of  the  combat  cries  were  heard  encouraging 
Harkaway  and  Harvey  to  fresh  exertions,  and  up  dashed 


38  JA  CK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

the  bold  Monday,  closely  followed  by  Jefferson  and  several 
gentlemen  from  the  contessa's  fete. 

The  Greeks  now  began  to  lose  heart. 

The  odds  were  veering  round  to  the  wrong  side. 

Greeks  can  fight  moderately  well  when  they  are  three  or 
four  to  one  Englishman,  but  when  the  numbers  are  equal, 
they  do  not  care  to  provoke  hostilities. 

And  so  they  blew  upon  their  whistles  for  assistance,  and 
soon  the  answering  calls  came  in  every  direction,  causing 
the  gravest  fears  to  the  Harkaway  faction. 

"Hah!"  ejaculated  Jefferson  ;  "they  are  are  coming  to 
help  you.  But  at  least  I'll  make  sure  of  you,  Master  Toro." 

The  Italian  did  not  shirk  the  encounter. 

Toro,  to  do  him  justice,  was,  with  all  his  faults,  no  coward. 

He  had  felt  the  weight  of  Jefferson's  arm,  and  he  had 
reason  to  remember  it. 

Yet  he  met  his  old  adversary  boldly. 

Jefferson  fell  upon  the  huge  Italian  with  tiger-like  fury, 
and  in  spite  of  his  prodigious  size  and  weight,  he  lifted  him 
in  his  arms,  swung  him  round,  and  hurled  him  to  the  ground. 

The  Greeks  now,  seeing  their  leaders  in  such  dire  peril, 
thought  of  avenging  themselves  by  the  most  dastardly  of 
expedients. 

"  Kill  the  girls  !  "  cried  one  of  them. 

The  hint  was  caught  up  with  avidity. 

A  savage  yell  responded  to  the  bloodthirsty  suggestion, 
and  the  lives  of  the  two  innocent  girls  were  in  real  peril, 

"  Look  to  the  girls  !  "  shouted  Dick  Harvey,  who  was  fully 
occupied  with  two  of  the  Greek  brigands  who  were  pressing 
him  closely. 

There  was  a  cheer  in  response  to  this  appeal,  and  over 
went  two  of  the  Greeks. 

Jefferson  too  lent  a  hand  at  this  juncture. 

Finding  himself  free  from  Toro's  attentions,  for  the  huge 
Italian  had  received  such  a  desperate  shaking  with  his  fall 
that  he  was  not  fit  for  much  now,  he  rushed  into  the  melee, 
and  dealt  out  such  slogging  blows  that  there  were  at  least  a 
dozen  bleeding  noses  and  black  eyes  distributed  amongst 
the  bandits  in  rather  less  time  than  it  takes  to  note  the  fact. 

The  Greeks  were  thoroughly  discouraged. 

This  unpleasant  British  mode  of  attack  was  not  at  all  to 
their  liking. 

They  could  do  pretty  well  with  knives  or  swords,  or  even 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


39 


with  firearms,  but  they  could  only  regard  men  who  used  their 
fists  in  the  lights  of  savages. 

Gradually  they  retreated  before  the  fierce  onslaught  of  the 
Britishers  and  their  gallant  Yankee  ally. 

This  was  no  small  triumph. 

The  brigands  mustered  at  least  twenty  men. 

Their  enemies  were  five. 

The  five  were  Harkaway,  Harvey,  Jefferson,  and  the  two 
negroes  Sunday  and  Monday. 

The  chicken-hearted  Greeks,  however,  did  not  altogether 
turn  tail,  for  ere  they  could  get  fairly  off  this  hardly-contested 
field,  they  received  considerable  reinforcements. 

About  ten  more  Greeks  put  in  an  appearance. 

A  ragged,  ruffianly  crew,  and  ill  armed. 

The  Harkaway  party  were  not  armed  at  all. 

The  Greeks  fell  back  and  made  attempts  to  re-form  in 
something  like  good  order. 

But  Jefferson  saw  the  danger,  and  he  followed  them  up 
closely. 

Jack  and  Dick  Harvey  were  at  his  heels. 

Neither  of  our  old  friends  were  inferior  to  the  bold  Jef- 
ferson in  courage  ;  but  they  did  not  possess  his  great  advan- 
tages of  size  and  strength. 

Jefferson's  right  arm  went  out  like  a  battering  ram,  and 
each  time  he  struck  out,  down  dropped  his  man. 

At  all  events,  the  brigands  did  not  give  any  particular 
signs  of  coming  up  for  a  repetition  dose. 

The  huge  American  dashed  into  the  thick  of  the  enemy. 

The  assassination  of  poor  little  Magog  Brand  had  fired  his 
fury,  and  his  charge  was  something  terrific. 

He  dashed  into  the  midst  of  the  half  cowed  bandits,  and 
swinging  his  arms  around  him  like  the  sails  of  a  windmill, 
he  "  grassed  "  a  man  at  every  stroke. 

But  this  could  not  last  for  long. 

As  the  Greeks  grew  stronger  in  numbers,  they  stood  upon 
the  defensive. 

They  were  reassured. 

They  had  seven-and-twenty  men  against  the  five. 

The  five,  too,  large-hearted  though  they  were,  had  the  two 
girls  to  look  after. 

Amongst  the  latest  comers  upon  the  bandits'  side  was  one 
man  who  was  a  petty  officer  of  the  brigands,  and  he  gave  a 
few  hurried  commands,  which  had  the  effect  of  putting 


4o  JA  CK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

Harkaway  and  his  friends  into  a  very  awkward   predica- 
ment. 

"  Load  and   fire,"   said   the  brigand.     "  Shoot   them   all 

down." 

If  they  could  but  succeed  in  getting  a  shot  or  two  at  the 
bold  Jefferson,  or  at  any  of  the  party,  it  would  speedily  be  all 
over  with  them. 

But  now,  when  individual  bravery  could  no  longer  avail 
them,  they  had  a  rare  slice  of  luck. 

Suddenly  a  rattling  volley  of  musketry  was  heard,  and  three 
of  the  Greeks  bit  the  dust,  while  a  number  of  cries  told  that 
several  were  hit. 

And  then  a  detachment  of  gendarmes  dashed  up  into  the 
open  at  a  swinging  trot. 

And  who  headed  this  very  welcome  party  ? 

Who  but  two  youths  that  have  been  heard  of  before  in 
these  pages  ? 

Who  indeed  but  young  Jack  Harkaway  and  his  friend 
Harry  Girdwood  ? 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SUNDAY  RUBS  OFF  AN  OLD  SCORE — THE  BRIGANDS — WHAT  HAP- 
PENED AT  THE  PORTER'S  LODGE — A  STRANGE  BLIND  BEGGAR. 

"  HURRAH  ! " 

"  Give  them  another." 

"  Load  again." 

"  Another  volley." 

A  rapid,  irregular  discharge  followed,  and  the  Greeks,  with 
cries  of  fear  and  rage,  dropped  their  arms  and  fled  precipi- 
tately, panic-stricken. 

The  gendarmes  followed  them  up,  and  several  were  knocked 
over  and  secured  ;  and  behind  them  the  brigands  had  left  no 
less  than  seven  of  their  number  who  had  not  been  able  to 
get  off. 

Amongst  those  seven  were  two  men  that  it  was  no  small 
gratification  to  the  Harkaway  party  to  see  once  more  in 
their  power.  . 

These  two  men  were  Hunston  and  Toro  the  Italian. 

Sunday  stood  over  the  latter,  leathering  into  his  half  in- 
sensible carcase  in  a  way  that  threatened  to  cover  it  with 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  4r 

bruises  ;  and  at  every  blow  he  had  something  fresh  to 
say. 

"  Take  dat  !  "  he  exclaimed,  punching  into  Toro's  ribs, 
"you  dam  nigger." 

Toro,  dazed  with  what  he  had  suffered  in  his  shaking, 
could  offer  no  resistance. 

"  And  dere's  another,  you  ugly  ticf  !  "  said  the  virtuous 
Sunday.  "  I'll  gib  you  what  for  ;  you  shall  hab  what  Paddy 
gib  the  drum,  you  'fernal  black  skunk  ;  I  show  yar  what 
John  up  the  orchard  is,  you — you  Italian  organ-grinding 
sweep — you  chestnut-munching  beast !  " 

Sunday  had  never  forgotten  his  first  acquaintance  with  Toro. 

The  reader  will  doubtless  bear  it  in  mind,  since  with  it  is 
connected  one  of  the  most  startling  episodes  of  Jack  Hark- 
away's  history,  in  his  voyage  round  the  world  with  young  Jack. 

It  was  at  the  hotel  in  New  York  that  the  Harkaways  first 
met  with  Sunday,  too,  for  here  they  were  the  means  of  rescu- 
ing him  from  the  brutal  violence  of  the  ruffian  Toro. 

It  was,  in  fact,  this  which  led  up  to  that  scene  of  terror — 
the  firing  of  the  hotel  by  Hunston  and  Toro. 

Sunday  had  suffered  at  Toro's  hands,  but  had  never  had 
his  whack  back. 

But  now  the  darkey  showed  the  ha'E  insensible  Italian  the 
full  signification  of  "  John  up  de  orchard,"  and  likewise  of 

"  what  for,"  and  "  what  Paddy  gave  the  'Irum." 

******* 

Hunston  and  Toro  were  thrown  into  prison,  with  the  few 
brigands  captured  and  their  discomfited  chieftain  Mathias. 

Such  was  the  end  of  their  exploit. 

When  once  they  were  in  prison,  however,  it  required  some 
exertion  on  the  part  of  the  authorities  to  keep  them  there. 

The  gang  were  unceasing  in  their  endeavours  to  release 
them. 

Artifices  of  every  kind  were  tried  to  accomplish  it,  but  the 
Harkaways  had  foreseen  that  no  ctone  would  be  left  unturned 
by  the  murderous  friends  of  the  captured  robbers  ;  and  they 
knew  the  good  old-fashioned  saying — "  forewarned,  fore- 
armed." 

The  prison  in  which  they  were  confined  was  situated  at  the 
waterside,  and  it  was  approachable  by  boat,  where  the  en- 
trance was  beneath  a  low,  vaulted  archway. 

The  day  after  the  capture  of  the  notorious  robbers,  a  poor 
cripple  hobbled  up  t3  t'le  porter'3  lod~c,  dragging  himself 


42  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

painfully  along  by  the  aid  of  a  stick  in  one  hand  and  a 
crutch  under  his  other  arm. 

"  Move  off,"  said  the  porter  gruffly  ;  "  we  have  nothing  to 
give  away  here." 

"  I  don't  ask  your  charity,"  replied  the  cripple  humbly ; 
"  accept  this,  good  sir,  as  a  peace  offering." 

And  then,  to  the  porter's  surprise,  he  dropped  a  coin  into 
his  hand. 

The  porter  looked  hard  at  the  coin  in  his  hand,  and  then 
at  the  cripple. 

He  was  a  man  of  no  sentiment,  this  porter,  and  so  he  asked 
the  generous  donor  bluntly  what  he  wanted  for  the  money. 

"  I  only  want  you  to  show  some  consideration  and  kind- 
ness, if  possible,  to  some  of  the  unfortunate  inmates  of  this 
place,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Prisoners  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  If  you  expect  that,"  said  the  porter  "  you  had  better  take 
back  your  money,  for  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  prisoners." 

The  cripple  looked  grave,  and  he  muttered  to  himself — 

"  This  fool  is  beastly  conscientious.  If  he  had  only  proved 
a  bit  of  a  rogue,  there  was  a  chance — the  ass  !  " 

But  he  did  not  mean  to  yield  the  point  yet. 

"  You  are  a  very  good  man,"  he  said  to  the  porter,  "  a  worthy 
honest  fellow,  and  you  will  know  that  I  don't  mean  to  offer 
you  any  thing  like  a  bribe." 

The  porter  started. 

"  A  bribe !  "  he  said,  with  an  expletive.  "  You  had  better 
not." 

"  Ahem  !  "  coughed  the  cripple.  "  My  friend,  I  have  con- 
fined in  this  prison  my  son,  a  poor  misguided  boy " 

"  They  are  mostly  that,"  said  the  porter  shortly. 

"  But  he  is  innocent." 

"  They  are  all  innocent,"  said  the  porter. 

"  All  ? " 

"  According  to  their  own  showing." 

"  But  my  boy  is." 

"  No  doubt." 

"  And  I  only  want  to  beg  you  to  do  what  you  can  to  soften 
his  lot — a  hard  lot  it  is,  too." 

"  I  can  do  nothing,  I  tell  you,"  said  the  porter ;  "  I  never 
see  the  prisoners." 

"  I  thought " 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  43 

"  At  least,  when  I  say  never,  I  mean  only  when  they  are 
allowed  to  walk  in  the  prison  yard." 

"  That  is  here  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  When  is  that  ?  " 

"  Once  a  day ;  sometimes  more  than  that,  if  the  doctor 
orders  it." 

"The  doctor  must  order  it,  then?"  said  the  cripple  to 
himself. 

"  What  is  your  son  in  for  ?  "  asked  the  porter. 

"  For  an  unfortunate  resemblance  he  bears  to  a  notorious 
brigand." 

"  Bah  !  "  exclaimed  the  porter.  "  They  don't  imprison  a 
man  for  being  like  another." 

"  Yes,  they  do  ;  my  unlucky  son  has  been  taken  for  Mathias 
the  brigand." 

"What,"  ejaculated  the  doorkeeper,  " do  you  mean  that 
Mathias  is  not  Mathias  ? " 

"  I  mean  that  my  son  has  been  taken  for  Mathias,  to  whom, 
indeed,  he  is  so  like  that  nothing  but  the  capture  of  the 
real  culprit  can  save  my  son." 

The  doorkeeper  eyed  the  cripple  sharply. 

But  the  latter  stood  it  coolly  enough. 

"  Well,"  said  the  door  porter,  "  if  that  is  the  case,  it  is 
certainly  a  very  hard  job  for  your  son.  What  do  you  want 
me  to  do  for  him  ?  I  can't  let  him  out." 

"  My  friend,"  exclaimed  the  cripple,  "  think  you  I  would 
suggest  such  a  thing  ?  No,  all  I  would  ask  of  you  is  to  soothe 
him  with  a  kind  word." 

"  I'll  tell  him  when  next  he  comes  out." 

"  At  what  time  did  you  say  ?  "  asked  the  cripple,  looking  <?n 
the  ground  as  though  he  only  put  the  question  casually. 

"  At  twelve." 

The  cripple's  eyes  glistened  as  he  heard  this. 

"  Well,  well,"  he  said,  pressing  some  more  money  into  the 
door  porter's  hand,  "I'll  call  again,  and  perhaps  you  may 
have  seen  my  boy,  and  comforted  him  with  the  assurance 
that  I'll  save  him,  in  spite  of  all  the  ill  these  accursed  English 
people  can  work  by  the  aid  of  their  money." 

"  Oh,  that's  it,  is  it  ?  "  said  the  porter.  "  The  English  are 
at  work  in  it,  eh  ? " 

"  Yes.  They  owe  him  some  spite,  and  money,  you  know 
can  buy  any  thing — any  thing." 


44  JA  CK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

And  blessing  the  gatekeeper,  he  hobbled  off. 

*  *  *  *  *  * 

Near  the  prison  he  overtook  a  blind  man  begging  by  the 
roadside,  and  while  stopping  to  drop  a  coin  in  his  hat,  the 
cripple  contrived  to  whisper  a  few  hurried  words  to  this 
effect — 

"  I  have  made  a  step — almost  made  a  breach  in  the  for- 
tress." 

"  You  have  1 " 

And  the  blind  man  turned  his  head  to  the  right  and  to  the 
left,  almost  as  though  looking  out  to  see  if  they  were  un- 
watched. 

"  Yes  ;  the  prison  yard  is  only  the  other  side  of  the  gate. 
Now  that  gate  is  kept  by  a  porter  who  is  already  in  our  inter- 
est." 

"  Good,  good,  Tomaso  !  "  quoth  the  blind  man. 

"  Now,  listen." 

"  Go  on,"  returned  the  blind  man,  in  an  eager  tone. 

"  At  noon  the  prisoners  are  in  the  yard.  If  we  could  but 
get  that  gate  open  for  an  instant,  and  have  our  men  ready 
hereabouts  for  a  rush " 

"  Yes,  yes." 

"  Who  can  tell  what  may  happen  ?  " 

"Good  again — good  again  !  ha,  ha,  ha  !  that's  brave,  that 
is.  Why,  the  mob  of  idle  sightseers  who  crowd  about  the 
prison  gates  at  noon  to  watch  the  prisoners  might  all  be  poor 
blind  wretches  or  helpless  cripples  like  you  and  I." 

"  Of  course." 

"  And  if  the  gate  is  left  open  but  one  instant — a  single 
inch,  no  more — why,  worlds  might  be  done." 

"  A  horse  ready  saddled  near  at  hand  might  be  worth 
thinking  of." 

"True." 

"  And  a  small  keg  of  gunpowder  blown  up  under  the  arch- 
way by  the  waterside  entrance  would  divert  attention." 

"  Tomaso,"  ejaculated  the  blind  man,  "you're  born  to  be 
a  captain  of  brigands  some  day  ! " 


AD  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  45 


CHAPTER  VII. 

HOW  TOMASO  HELPED  HIS  FRIENDS  IN  TROUBLE — THE  SKIRMISH 
IN  THE  PRISON — MATHIAS  THE  BRIGAND. 

TOMASO,  before  the  day  was  over,  changed  his  garments 
and  abandoned  crutch  and  stick,  and  when  he  turned  out  with 
flaxen-dyed  hair  and  spectacles,  and  presented  himself  at  the 
other  great  entrance  of  the  prison,  as  a  German  traveller  who 
desired  to  go  over  the  place,  no  one  could  possibly  have  im- 
agined it  to  be  the  old  cripple  whose  paternal  lamentation 
had  so  touched  the  doorkeeper's  heart. 

"  You  have  got  here  a  notorious  brigand,  as  I  have  heard 
tell,"  said  the  visitor. 

"  We  have,  sir,"  was  the  governor's  reply  ;  "  a  very  remark- 
able man  he  is,  too." 

"  Ah,  so  I  have  heard,"  said  the  visitor.  "  He  is  called 
Demetrius,  I  believe  ?  " 

"  Nay  ;  his  name  is  Mathias." 

The  visitor  looked  surprised  at  this  information. 

"  Mathias — Mathias  !  "  he  repeated  to  himself.  "  I  was 
misinformed,  then.  I  certainly  thought  that  his  name  was 
Demetrius." 

The  governor  smiled. 

"  You  may  be  right,  all  the  same,"  said  he. 

"  How  so  ? " 

"  Why,  Mathias  is  but  his  avowed  name  ;  he  may  be  known 
by  a  dozen  different  aliases" 

"  Is  it  possible  ? "  ejaculated  the  sham  German  traveller. 

"  Indeed  it  is.  These  robbers  are  mostly  adepts  at  disguise. 
Would  you  like  to  see  this  Mathias  ? "  demanded  the  gov- 
ernor, courteously. 

"  Vastly." 

"Well,  sir,  I'll  only  warn  you  of  one  thing." 

"Indeed!     What  is  it?" 

"  A  disappointment  awaits  you  in  this." 

"  How  so  ?  " 

"  Instead  of  seeing  a  ferocious  fellow,  such  as  you  might 
expect,  Mathias  is  really  a  very  pleasant  and  innocent-look- 
ing man." 


46  JA  CK  HA  RKA  WA  Y  A  ND  HIS  SON 'S 

The  governor  of  the  prison  then  led  the  visitors  through 
the  long  stone  corridors  of  the  place  where  Mathias  was  con- 
fined. 

They  stopped  before  a  door  of  great  thickness,  heavily 
barred,  and  studded  with  iron  bolts  and  nails. 

The  governor  tapped  at  a  small  grated  trap  in  the  door, 
and  it  was  pulled  aside. 

At  the  grating  a  broad-shouldered  fellow  appeared,  who 
touched  his  cap  at  the  visitors. 

"  So  that  is  Mathias,"  said  the  German  gentleman. 

"  No,  no,";said  the  governor  ;  "  that  is  the  gaoler  who  is 
shut  up  with  him." 

"  What  for  ? " 

"  So  that  he  might  be  watched  night  and  day ;  the  author- 
ities have  doomed  him  to " 

"To  what?" 

"  To  death,"  replied  the  governor,  in  a  low  but  impressive 
voice. 

"  He  is  young." 

"In  years,  yes,"  answered  the  governor,  "but  old  in  crime. 
This  man  has  been  guilty  of  nearly  every  crime  under  the 
sun — brigandage  is  one  of  his  least  offences.  His  last  ex- 
ploit, however,  is  the  worst." 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  Murder." 

"  Murder !  " 

And  the  German  traveller  looked  inexpressibly  shocked. 

"  Murder  is  a  capital  crime  in  every  land." 

"  And  rightly  too,"  said  the  visitor,  "  rightly,  too.  But, 
sir,  excuse  my  curiosity " 

"  Ask  all  you  will,"  returned  the  governor. 

"  This  man  had,  I  was  told,  a  bold,  dashing  fellow  to  sec- 
ond him  in  all  his  exploits." 

"  An  Italian  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  An  Englishman  ?  " 

"  No,  no,  sir,  you  mistake  ;  I  mean  a  Greek — a  hand- 
some, dashing  fellow — a  great  favourite  with  the  ladies — 
brave  and  daring." 

"  And  how  is  this  Apollo  called  ?  " 

"  Tomaso." 

The  governor  burst  into  a  loud  fit  of  laughter  at  this. 

"You  are  altogether  mistaken  about  that    brigand — that 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


47 


Tomaso.  He  is  a  scrubby  and  ill-favoured  scamp  —  a 
sneaking,  crawling  rascal,  capable  of  all  the  villany  of  his 
master,  but  not  possessed  of  his  courage." 

Had  the  governor  been  looking  at  the  visitor's  face  just 
then,  he  might  have  had  his  suspicions  aroused. 

The  sham  German  philanthropist  glared  ferociously  as  this 
description  was  given. 

The  prisoner,  who  was  seated  at  a  rough  deal  table  at  the 
further  end  of  the  cell,  here  arose  at  the  gaoler's  order, 
and  came  to  the  window. 

A  single  glance  sufficed  to  show  that  a  very  noticeable 
change  had  taken  place  in  the  appearance  of  Mathias. 

His  face  was  pale  and  haggard,  and  the  whole  of  one  side 
of  it,  the  eye,  cheek  bone,  and  forehead  were  bruised. 

This  was  the  mark  that  Jefferson  had  set  upon  him. 

This  was  the  bold  American's  only  vengeance  for  the  death- 
blow which  the  brigand  had  dealt  upon  his  faithful  friend 
and  companion  Magog  Brand. 

Jefferson's  right  arm  came  down  like  a  steam  hammer, 
and  any  man  who  had  felt  its  full  force  as  the  scoundrel 
Mathias  had  did  not  forget  it  very  readily. 

Such  a  desperate  shaking  had  it  given  Mathias  that  he 
had  not  yet  recovered. 

'  The  bold,  defiant  bearing  of  the  man  was  gone,  and  he 
looked  ten  years  older  than  when  Tomaso  and  he  had  last 
met. 

It  struck  the  visitor  at  once. 

"Dear,  dear  me,"  exclaimed  the  latter,  "  is  it  possible 
that  this  can  be  the  redoubtable  Mathias  ? " 

"  It  is  he,"  said  the  governor,  "  yet  scarcely  so  gay  as  is 
his  wont,  eh,  Mathias?" 

The  prisoner  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  sighed. 

"  Laugh  on,  your  excellency,"  he  said,  rather  bitterly,  "  it 
is  your  turn  now." 

"  Now  !  " 

"  Aye,  now.     It  may  not  always  be." 

"  Why,    surely  you  never  think  of  getting  out  of  this  ? ' 

"  Indeed,  I  think  of  nothing  else  morning,  noon,  and  night." 

The  governor  gave  a  sharp  glance  about. 

He  looked  toward  the  gaoler. 

Now  the  gaolor  was  a  huge  fellow,  over  six  feet  high  and 
broad  in  proportion,  one  who  could  have  tackled  Toro  him- 
self, as  far  as  weight  and  sheer  brute  strength  went. 


48  JACK  HARKA  WAY  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  Your  excellency,"  replied  Mathias,  "  when  I  leave  this 
place,  my  exit  will  be  due  to  no  violence.  Bad  as  I  am,  I 
am  not  altogether  what  they  would  make  out." 

"  Poor  Mathias  !  "  said  the  governor  ironically,  "  one 
would  almost  think  that  murder  was  not  his  line  of  business." 

"  Your  excellency,"  said  the  prisoner,  drawing  near  to  the 
grated  window,  "  I  repent  sincerely  of  that  poor  little  gentle- 
man's death ;  it  was  no  assassin's  stab  in  the  dark,  but  a 
most  unfortunate  blow  in  a  fight,  remember." 

"  Bravo  !  Mathias  !  bravo  !  "  ejaculated  the  visitor. 

The  prisoner  looked  up. 

A  strange  expression  flitted  across  his  face. 

Mathias  was  an  adept  in  the  art  of  dissimulation,  and  his 
face  was  schooled  to  tell  neither  more  nor  less  than  he 
wished. 

"  Now,  your  excellency,"  said  the  visitor,  "  this  rascal  ap- 
pears strangely  self-possessed." 
He  does." 

;  What  does  it  mean  ?  " 
;  Brag." 
'  Humph  ! " 

'  Ah,  you  do  not  know  him,  sir,  as  well  as  I  do." 
' Perhaps  not;  but  it  might  just  be  possible  that  he  is  in 
league  with  some  of  his  comrades  outside." 

The  governor  smiled  incredulously. 

"  Impossible." 

"  What  if  that  scoundrel,  Tomaso,  of  whom  we  were  speak- 
ing, should  be  at  work  ? " 

The  prisoner's  eyes  glistened  at  this  word. 

A  slight  flash  of  intelligence  passed  between  the  prisoner 
and  the  visitor. 

It  was  but  momentary,  and  so  slight  as  to  be  utterly  unob- 
served by  either  the  gaoler  or  the  governor. 

"  And  if  such  could  be  the  case,  sir,  what  could  he  possi- 
bly do,  eh  ?  What  on  earth,  that's  what  I  ask." 

"  There's  no  saying." 

"  Indeed  you're  right." 

"  Only  he  ought  to  be  well  guarded  when  you  change  him 
from  one  prison  to  another,  or " 

"  Stop,  stop,  my  dear  sir,  why  change  him  ?  He  will 
never  leave  this  place  alive,"  said  the  governor. 

"  Never  ?  " 

"  Never ! " 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


49 


"  But  surely  you  don't  keep  your  prisoners  all  confined  in 
these  stifling  places  ? " 

"  We  do,  though." 

"  And  never  let  them  breathe  the  air  ?  Why,  it  is  tor- 
ture." 

"  They  do  breathe  the  air.  At  noon  every  day  they  are 
allowed  to  walk  for  an  hour  in  the  prison  yard." 

"  At  noon  ?  " 

"  At  noon." 

The  visitor  fixed  his  eyes  strangely   upon   the  prisoner. 

"  Very  good  ;  if  I  may  be  allowed  to  trespass  again,  I 
should  like  to  see  how  this  fellow  bears  himself  in  the  yard 
amongst  his  fellow-criminals." 

"  By  all  means." 

"  I'll  come,  then,  at  noon." 

*  ***** 

At  noon  next  day  the  German  traveller  was  as  good  as  his 
word. 

The  governor,  full  of  his  wonted  courtesy,  accompanied 
him  to  the  yard,  where  all  the  prisoners  were  walking  round 
two  and  two. 

Some  of  the  more  desperate  men  were  fastened  by  a  single 
handcuff  to  the  wrist  of  another  man — a  warder. 

Of  this  category  was  the  brigand  Mathias. 

His  companion  was  a  huge  fellow,  who  topped  him  by  a 
head  and  shoulders,  and  their  wrists  were  linked  securely  to- 
gether by  a  strong — if  slender — pair  of  handcuffs. 

The  visitor's  countenance  fell  when  he  observed  this. 

It  upset  all  his  plans  at  one  fell  swoop. 

However,  he  did  not  utterly  despair,  but  made  an  effort 
to  get  over  the  difficulty  . 

"  Your  excellency,"  said  he,  "  this  is  indeed  cruel." 

"  What,"  demanded  the  governor,  "fastening  them  to  the 
gaoler  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  I  only  order  it  in  special  cases,  such  as  that  of  Mathias." 

"  He  is  then  very  dangerous  ? " 

"  Well,  I  scarcely  believe  that,  only  such  precautions  are 
the  established  rules." 

"  I  regret  that." 

"  Why  ? " 

"  Partly  on  the  score  of  humanity,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Ah,  you  would  be  too  tender-hearted,"  said  the  governor. 
4 


5o  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"No.  But  I  also  regret  it  because  I  hoped  to  see  the 
brigand  more  like  he  appears  when  not  under  restraint.  I 
suppose  you  would  not  like  to  set  him  free  ?  " 

The  governor  shook  his  head. 

"  That  is  against  custom,  and  I  should  really  not  like  to 
do  it." 

The  visitor  reflected  a  moment  as  they  walked  on. 

He  could  not  abandon  his  scheme  now  that  he  had  gone 
so  far. 

The  effort  should  be  made  all  the  same. 

They  walked  up  to  the  porter's  lodge  beside  the  gates, 
where  an  eager  crowd  had  assembled  for  a  glimpse  of  the 
prisoners. 

"  And  do  you  open  those  gates  to  admit  the  prisoners  ?  " 
asked  the  visitor  innocently. 

"  No,  sir,"  replied  the  governor ;  "  this  little  side  door  is 
all  we  open.  Now  watch  how  it  is  done.  This  bar,  which 
is  like  a  lever,  stops  the  door,  and  renders  it  immovable, 
now — hah  !  " 

The  fallacy  of  his  words  was  shown  ere  they  were  fairly 
uttered. 

The  visitor  whistled  in  a  very  peculiar  way. 

And  there  was  a  sudden  silent  rush  at  the  door  in  question. 

The  bar,  immovable  as  it  was,  fell  before  that  desperate 
onslaught,  and  the  door  was  carried  off  its  hinges. 

The  ragged  and  miserable-looking  mob  turned  like 
magic  into  a  crowd  of  armed  desperadoes.  And  in  they 
pressed. 

On  they  came,  tearing  down  the  gates  and  dashing  every 
thing  before  them. 

The  poor  gatekeeper  was  trampled  under  foot,  and  the 
warders  and  governor  got  hustled  and  cruelly  handled. 

The  mob  of  armed  invaders  made  for  Mathias  and  his 
companion,  and  bore  them  bodily  outside  the  gates. 

The  brigands  then  wrenched  off  the  handcuffs. 

Once  outside  the  gates,  a  horse  was  found  waiting. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  loud  cry  heard. 

"  The  soldiers — the  soldiers  ! " 

The  whole  of  the  guard-room  had  turned  out. 

A  charge  was  made,  and  it  looked  as  though  the  rescue 
of  Mathias  were  likely  to  cost  them  dear. 

Cries  of  defiance  and  rage  were  heard. 

Just  when  matters  were  at  the  worst  for  the  robber  band, 


A  D  VENTURES  /A "  GREE  CE.  5 1 

a  deafening  explosion  was  heard,  that  shook  the  solid  build- 
ing to  its  base. 

The  soldiers  turned  back  and  re-formed  at  their  officer's 
command. 

Then  it  was  that  the  brigands,  headed  by  the  sham  visitor, 
Tomaso,  found  their  chance. 

Up  till  now,  the  retreat  had  been  cut  off  by  the  unpleasant 
appearance  of  the  military. 

"There  goes  the  powder  keg  under  the  water  gate," 
cried  Tomaso.  "  Lose  not  a  moment.  Follow  me." 

A  desperate  rush  was  made,  and  the  brigands  got  clear  of 
the  prison. 

The  soldiers  were  divided  into  two  lots,  one  party  being 
sent  in  pursuit,  the  other  remaining  to  guard  the  prison. 

The  roll-call  of  the  prisoners  made  this  discovery. 

"  How  many  prisoners  have  escaped  ?  "  inquired  the  gov- 
ernor. 

"  Three  absentees,  your  excellency,"  said  the  head  man 
of  the  prison.  "  One  is  an  Italian,  calling  himself  Toro ; 
another  an  Englishman,  calling  himself  Hunston ;  and  the 
third,  the  brigand  chief  Mathias." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A     DEEP-LAID     PLOT. 

THE  news  of  the  escape,  or  rescue— call  it  what  you  will — 
of  the  three  desperadoes  soon  became  known. 

Emily  and  Mrs.  Harvey  were  much  alarmed. 

The  dogged  obstinacy  with  which  attempt  after  attempt 
was  made  by  the  villains  made  them  imagine  they  were 
unsafe  in  such  a  lonely  place. 

Accordingly,  a  grand  consultation  was  held,  the  result  of 
which  was  that  the  Prince  of  Limbi  was  sent  into  the  town 
to  take  rooms  for  the  whole  party  at  one  of  the  two  hotels 
the  place  could  boast  of. 

And  the  next  day  they  all  quitted  the  villa. 

The  hotel  in  which  our  friends  had  secured  apartments 
was  a  large  straggling  building,  right  at  the  extremity  of  the 
ill-built  street  \v!i:c!i  formed  the  chief  part  of  the  town. 


5  2  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

Mr.  Mole  had  been  very  particular  when  they  went  there 
in  his  inquiries  about  the  brigands. 

Would  the  party  be  quite  safe  from  molestation  ? 

The  urbane  proprietor,  with  many  low  bows,  assured  his 
excellency  the  Englishman  that  there  was  not  the  slightest 
possibility  of  their  being  molested. 

The  other  male  members  of  the  party  really  troubled 
themselves  very  little  about  the  brigands. 

By  ten  o'clock,  the  day  after  the  masquerade,  hardly  a 
person  was  stirring  in  the  town. 

A  casual  observer  would  have  said  there  was  literally  no 
one  to  be  seen.  But  hush  ! 

Soft,  cautious  footsteps  may  be  heard,  and  anyone  whose 
eyes  are  accustomed  to  the  gloom  might  have  seen  three 
figures  creeping  quietly  down  the  street  on  the  side  opposite 
the  hotel. 

Right  over  against  that  building  they  paused. 

"  That  is  the  place,"  said  one  of  the  three,  a  giant  almost 
in  size. 

"  Curse  them !  they  always  manage  to  get  comfortable 
quarters,  while  I  am  an  outcast,"  said  another,  who  spoke 
like  an  Englishman. 

"Death,  gentlemen  !  what  better  quarters  can  you  desire 
than  my  cave,  in  which  you  have  spent  several  pleasant  even- 
ings ? " 

"  Bah !  Captain  Mathias,  you  have  never  tasted  the  sweets 
of  civilisation." 

"And,  Signer  Hunstani,  how  much  the  better  are  you 
through  having  tasted  those  sweets  ?  " 

"Peace,  peace!"  growled  the  giant.  "Let  us  unite  in 
thought  and  action,  and  to-night  obtain  our  long-sought  re- 
venge." 

"  Well,  Toro,  I  am  sure  I  don't  want  to  quarrel  with  any- 
one, except  Harkaway." 

"  Curse  him  !  and  especially  that  American." 

"  Hush !  let  your  curses  be  not  loud  but  deep ;  you'll 
awake  the  town  if  you  swear  so." 

"  Have  I  not  good  cause  to  ?  Has  he  not  beaten  and 
put  me  to  shame  ?  " 

"  And  have  I  not  suffered  equal  pain  and  shame  ?  Yet  I 
am  content  to  bide  my  time  ;  you  should  have  patience, 
Toro." 

"Come,  come   to   business,   my   friends,"   said   Captain 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


53 


Mathias  ;  "  there  is  the  house  where  our  foe  resides.     How 
are  we  to  proceed  ?  " 

"  Quietly ;  hush  !  "  said  Hunston.  "  Confound  it,  how 
still  the  air  is  ;  the  whole  street  seems  to  echo  back  the 
lightest  whisper." 

"  Let  me  get  once  inside,  and  I  care  not  if  all  the  street 
hears,"  muttered  Toro. 

"  Which  proves  you  care  not  if  you  are  unsuccessful," 
said  the  Greek. 

"  How  so  ?  " 

"  If  we  are  heard,  we  shall  have  the  whole  street  in  arms 
against  us,  and  I  fancy  these  Inglesi,  with  their  boys  and 
the  blacks,  are  quite  sufficient  for  the  three  of  us." 

"  Bah  !  "  exclaimed  Toro. 

"  Seriously,  though,  let  us  consider  how  to  get  into  this 
place,"  said  Hunston. 

"There's  the  door  facing  us." 

"  But  have  you  the  key  ?  " 

"No,  but  I  could  send  my  foot  through  that  plank  as 
easily  as  anything,"  growled  Toro. 

"  Certainly,  and  you  would  undoubtedly  alarm  the  whole 
household  by  doing  so,  whereas  we  wish  to  catch  them 
sleeping." 

"  Well,  then,  how  about  the  windows  ?  " 

"Too  high  to  reach,"  said  Hunston,  "unless  we  had  a 
ladder." 

"  And  I  doubt  if  such  a  thing  can  be  found  in  the  town," 
interposed  Captain  Mathias. 

"  Well,  then,  let  us  see  what  there  is  at  the  back  of  the 
house.  Captain,  you  have  eyes  like  a  cat  or  an  owl ;  just 
glance  up  and  down  the  street  to  see  if  there  is  anyone 
about." 

The  Greek  looked  in  all  directions. 

"  Not  even  a  mouse  is  stirring,"  said  he. 

So  the  three  villains,  drawing  their  cloaks  closely  round 
them,  stole  silently  away  from  the  shelter  of  the  friendly 
doorway,  where  the  foregoing  conversation  had  taken  place, 
and  proceeded  round  to  the  back  of  the  hotel. 

To  reach  the  point  desired,  they  had,  of  course,  to  cross 
the  road,  which  was  tolerably  wide,  and  then  skirt  a  kind  of 
paddock. 

There  were  few  stars  to  be  seen,  and  the  moon—a  new  one, 
and  perhaps  not  yet  fully  acquainted  with  her  business — was 


54  JACK  HA RKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

partly  hidden  behind  some  clouds,  though  not  so  entirely 
obscured  but  that  the  forms  of  the  three  brigands  cast  deep 
shadows  on  the  ground. 

But  surely  that  is  not  a  shadow,  which  as  they  move,  moves 
also  from  an  adjoining  doorway,  and  follows  them. 

Like  them,  it  is  wrapped  in  a  cloak ;  like  them,  it  stalks 
along  slowly  and  erect,  but  unlike  them,  it  makes  no  noise. 

Its  footfall  is  silent  as  that  of  the  panther  lurking  in  the 
jungle. 

Its  very  breath,  if  it  has  any,  seems  hushed. 

The  three  villains  go  slowly,  and  the  shadow,  or  substance, 
whatever  it  may  be,  keeps  the  same  pace,  till  they  reach  the 
open  field  at  the  back  of  the  hotel. 

Hunston,  Toro,  and  the  Greek  then  stand  side  by  side 
looking  towards  the  hotel,  but  the  shadow  sinks  down  out 
of  sight  by  the  side  of  the  fence. 

Another  hasty  look  round,  and  then  the  Greek  brigand 
pronounced  that  they  were  safe. 

"  No  fear  of  being  interrupted  here." 

"  Well  now  let  us  settle,"  said  Toro  ;  "  I  am  anxious  to  be 
at  them." 

"  But  see,"  said  Hunston,  "  there  are  lights  moving  ;  it  is 
not  safe  yet."  , 

"  Not  till  half-an-hour  after  midnight." 

"  And  now " 

"  It  is  half-past  ten  o'clock." 

"  Two  hours,"  groaned  Toro. 

"  Better  wait  four  than  fail,"  said  Hunston. 

"  Cold-blooded  Englishman,  what  know  you  of  the  furious 
rate  at  which  my  blood  boils  in  my  veins  ?  In  that  house  is 
the  man  who  struck  me  to  the  earth." 

"  Wait  two  hours,  then  you  may  have  a  good  chance  of  pay- 
ing off  the  score." 

"  And  I  will,  too,  with  greater  interest  than  even  usurer 
charged  his  hapless  client.  I  wonder  which  room  the  cursed 
Americano  sleeps  in." 

"  The  third  room  on  the  right-hand  side  of  the  first 
corridor,  where  you  ascend  the  great  staircase." 

Captain  Mathias  said  this  as  promptly  and  positively  as 
though  he  himself  had  shown  our  friends  to  bed. 

After  a  pause  he  continued — 

"  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harkaway  have  the  first  room  ;  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Harvey  the  second;  the  third  is  a  double-bedded 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


55 


apartment,  one  couch  being  occupied  by  the  American,  the 
other  by  the  two  boys." 

"  You  seem  to  have  pretty  exact  information,  captain," 
said  Hunston. 

"  Yes,  there  is  little  going  on  there  that  does  not  come  to 
my  ears.  One  of  the  porters  is  a  spy  in  my  employ." 

"  Why  did  you  not  get  a  key  from  him  ?  " 

"  I  have  one  ;  it  opens  the  back  door." 

Toro  had,  during  the  last  bit  of  conversation,  been  growling 
to  himself  a  choice  vocabulary  of  Italian  oaths,  occasionally 
shaking  his  fist  at  the  building  which  contained  the  objects 
of  his  hatred. 

He  now  turned  to  his  companions. 

"  And  where  do  you  propose  to  pass  the  two  hours  that 
must  elapse  ? " 

"  At  the  bottom  of  yonder  field  is  a  thicket,  where  we  shall 
be  free  from  observation.  We  can  smoke  our  pipes  there. 
By-the-bye,  the  patrol  goes  round  about  midnight." 

"  We  must  be  cautious,"  said  Hunston. 

"  Come  along,  then." 

The  three  villains  then  walked  off  in  the  direction  of  the 
thicket  where  they  were  to  hide. 

A  minute  afterwards  a  shadow  rose  from  the  ditch  where  he 
had  been  crouching,  and  stood  looking  after  them  long  after 
they  had  been  lost  in  the  gloom. 

"  Just  in  time,"  muttered  the  so-called  shadow,  who  was 
in  good  truth  as  substantial  flesh  and  blood  as  any  in  Greece. 

"  If  I  had  not  wandered  hither  in  search  of  my  daughter, 
probably  half-a-dozen  murders  would  have  been  committed. 
However,  I'll  thwart  the  rascals,as  sure  as  my  name  is  Petrus." 

For  Petrus  it  was,  from  Magic  Island,  who  had  been  play- 
ing  spy  on  the  movements  of  the  three  conspirators. 

He  stood  there  in  deep  thought  for  a  few  minutes. 

"  I  must  warn  some  of  the  people  in  the  hotel,  but  I  should 
like  to  get  this  business  over  without  alarming  Mrs.  Harka- 
way  or  the  other  lady.  The  question  is,  how  ?  " 

He  reached  the  front  door  of  the  hotel,  and  pulled  at  the 
bell  handle. 

After  an  interval  of  two  or  three  minutes,  a  light  shone 
through'  the  keyhole,  and  a  voice  asked — 

"Who  is  there?" 

"  A  traveller,  in  search  of  food  and  bed." 

"  Are  you  alone  ? " 


56  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  Yes."" 

Then  the  door  was  unbolted,  and  the  traveller  entered. 

"  Is  the  proprietor  of  the  hotel  in  bed  yet  ? "  he  asked. 

"  I  don't  know,  sir." 

"  He  must  be  roused  at  once.  I  have  important  news  for 
him  from  a  distant  land." 

The  porter  stared,  but  did  not  seem  inclined  to  call  the 
proprietor,  noticing  which,  Petrus  said — 

"  I  shall  be  sorry  to  alarm  all  the  house,  when  I  only  want 
one  person  ;  but  if  you  don't  quickly  bring  him,  I'll  ring  half 
a  dozen  of  these  bells  at  such  a  rate  that  he'll  think  the  house 
is  on  fire." 

Seeing  the  stranger  was  in  earnest,  the  porter  went  to  the 
proprietor's  room,  and  soon  returned  with  him  to  the  hall 
where  Petrus  was  waiting. 

"  I  should  like  to  have  a  few  words  with  you  in  private, 
sir,"  said  the  traveller,  with  a  strong  emphasis  on  the  words 
we  have  italicised. 

"  Certainly.     You  may  go  to  bed,  Theodorus." 

The  porter  somewhat  sulkily  retired  to  a  kind  of  pantry, 
where  he  slept,  and  the  proprietor  of  the  hotel,  softly  follow- 
ing, turned  the  key  upon  him. 

"  I  have  my  doubts  about  that  fellow,"  he  said  as  he  re- 
turned. "  But  now,  sir,  what  is  your  pleasure  with  me  ?  " 

Petrus  at  once  told  him  what  he  had  heard,  and  great  was 
the  alarm  of  the  hotel-keeper. 

"  What  shall  we  do  ?    Send  for  the  police  ?  " 

Petrus,  after  a  short  silence,  said — 

"  No." 

"  What  then  ?  I  cannot  allow  my  guests  to  be  murdered. 
Why,  these  scoundrels  have  already  made  one  attempt  on 
Mr.  Harkaway  and  his  friends  at  a  masquerade." 

Just  at  that  moment  a  guttural  voice  was  heard  singing — 

"  Ole  Ikey  Mole 
Was  a  lushy  ole  soul, 
And  a  lushy  ole  soul  was  he." 

"  Now  den,  you  nigger,  be  quiet,"  said  another  voice. 

"  Who  are  these  people  ?  "  asked  Petrus. 

"Two  black  men  in  attendance  on  the  Harkaway  party.'' 
said  the  proprietor  of  the  hotel. 

"  Just  the  men.  I  know  a  little  of  them.  I  have  fought 
side  by  side  with  them.  Now  I  have  a  proposal  to  make, 


ADVENTURES  TN  GREECE. 


57 


which  is  that  we  put  these  brigands  to  flight  in  a  ludicrous 
manner,  which  will  annoy  them  more  than  being  beaten  in 
right.  Myself  and  the  black  men  will  do  it  with  your  assis- 
tance and  permission." 

"  Anything,  so  that  there  is  no  bloodshed." 

"  That  I  will  guarantee.  Please  call  the  two  worthy  dark- 
skins." 

Sunday  and  Monday,  who  had  been  keeping  it  up  in  the 
kitchen,  were  called  and  acquainted  with  the  state  of  affairs. 

"  What,  Massa  Petrus,"  said  Sunday  in  surprise,  "  what 
you  do  here  ?  Am  you  got  dat  black  rascal  pirate  with  you  ?  " 

"  No ;  the  pirate  chief  is  dead.  You  will  find  his  bones 
on  the  island — Magic  Island,  as  young  Jack  Harkaway  named 
it.  Yes,  my  revenge  is  complete.  The  pirate  died  as  my 
slave  ;  but  now  to  explain  to  you  my  plan  to  punish  the  three 
brigands." 

Sunday  rolled  his  eyes  fearfully,  as  he  listened  to  the  de- 
tails of  the  plot. 

"  Gorra,  massa,  I'd  like  to  tar  and  feather  dat  big  rascal." 

"  Tar  !  "  said  Petrus.  "  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  that  is  a  good  idea. 
Listen — but  first  show  me  the  place  where  the  gentlemen 
sleep." 

The  hotel-keeper  led  the  way  to  the  corridor,  and  pointed 
out  the  sleeping  apartments  of  the  Harkaway  party. 

Petrus  then  held  another  short  consultation  with  the  two 
black  men  and  the  hotel-keeper,  the  result  of  which  was  that 
the  latter  retired,  leaving  Sunday,  Monday,  and  Petrus  to 
work  their  will  with  the  invaders  when  they  appeared. 

And  then,  as  there  was  but  little  time  to  spare,  they  set  to 
work  with  a  will  to  make  all  the  necessary  preparations. 

Over  each  door  they  screwed  into  the  wall  an  iron  hook, 
to  which  was  attached  a  pulley  and  a  cord. 

"  Then  they  went  into  the  lower  regions  and  hunted  through 
the  store  rooms. 

The  first  place  they  lighted  upon  was  a  kind  of  paint  shop, 
full  of  paints,  oils  and  such-like  things. 

"  Dis  is  jes  de  shop  for  to  cook  de  goose  ob  dem  willins,"  , 
said  Sunday. 

"  And  here's  de  pots  to  cook  'em  in,"  said  Monday,  point- 
ing to  some  iron  vessels  resembling  pails,  but  made  so  that 
the  bottoms  could  be  removed. 

The  pails,  as  we  wilv  call  them,  were  something  like  sugar 
loaves,  with  the  tops  cut  off  and  turned  base  upwards. 


58  JA  CK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

When  full,  the  weight  of  the  liquid  kept  the  bottom  in  its 
place,  but  it  was  evident  that  if  the  bottom  was  removed,  as 
it  easily  could  be,  the  contents  would  escape. 

Petrus,  after  an  inspection,  pronounced  them  "just  the 
thing,"  adding — 

"  Now  we  must  fill  them  with  tar." 

"  No,  no,"  said  Monday.  "  Put  tar  in  one,  wery  hot ;  in 
nodder  put  dis  here  paint,  also  werry  hot ;  and  in  de  oder 
put  water,  bilin'  hot." 

"  Good." 

Then  the  three  sat  down  by  the  large  fireplace  in  tne 
kitchen,  and  deliberately  began  their  cooking. 

Monday  devoted  his  attention  to  the  heating  of  several 
pounds  of  mixed  paint. 

Sunday  boiled  a  barrel  of  tar,  while  Petrus  attended  to  a 
large  cauldron  of  water. 

Ten  minutes  before  the  hands  of  the  clock  pointed  to  half- 
past  twelve,  all  the  cooks  had  completed  their  work. 

The  paint,  tar,  and  water,  all  at  boiling  heat,  had  been 
placed  in  the  iron  pails  with  the  movable  bottoms,  and  one 
of  these  had  been  hung  over  each  bedroom  door. 

The  hot  water  over  Harkaway's  door,  the  paint  over  Har- 
vey's, and  the  tar  over  that  in  which  the  two  boys  and  Jef- 
ferson reposed. 

A  string  was  attached  to  each  pail,  and  passed  over  a  pul- 
ley, the  end  being  conveyed  to  a  recess  where  the  three 
watchers  were  concealed.  They  were  armed. 

Sunday,  Monday,  and  Petrus  each  had  a  six-chambered 
revolver,  loaded. 

Then  came  the  clang  of  the  old-fashioned  clock  as  it  pro- 
claimed half-past  twelve. 

Breathless  silence  prevailed  both  inside  the  house  and 
out. 

"  Lights  out,"  whispered  Petrus,  when,  after  a  short  pause, 
a  slight  grating  noise  was  heard  at  the  back  door. 

In  an  instant  all  was  darkness,  except  that  the  moon  shone 
through  a  narrow  window  at  the  extreme  end  of  the  corridor. 

A  few  minutes  afterwards  Petrus,  who  was  watching,  saw 
three  dark  figures  come  gliding  into  the  long  passage. 

The  first  was  a  tall,  bulky  figure — Toro. 

The  second  the  Greek,  and  the  third  was  evidently  Hun- 
ston. 

A  plan  of  operations  had  been  agreed   upon — that  was 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE, 


59 


quite  certain ;  for  Toro,  without  the  least  hesitation,  pro- 
ceeded to  Jefferson's  door,  the  Greek  placing  himself  outside 
Harvey's  apartment,  while  Hunston  stationed  himself  at  the 
room  occupied  by  Harkaway. 

Then  they  waited  for  a  signal,  evidently  intending  to  rush 
in  simultaneously. 

"  Now  ! "  said  Hunston,  in  a  loud  whisper. 

"  Now  !  "  echoed  Petrus. 

Before  the  brigands  could  rush  into  the  rooms  occupied 
by  those  they  sought  to  destroy,  Petrus  pulled  the  three 
strings  he  held  in  his  hand,  and,  good  Heaven  !  what  a  splut- 
tering and  swearing  at  once  commenced. 

Hunston  was  drenched  and  scalded. 

"  A  million  curses  !  "  he  roared. 

"  Help  !     Look  here,  Toro." 

But  Toro  could  not  look. 

A  deluge  of  hot  tar  had  streamed  over  his  head,  filling 
eyes,  ears,  nose,  and  mouth,  saturating  his  hair  and  running 
down  inside  his  clothing. 

"  Furies  !  "  he  screamed,  "  I'll  have  the  life  of  the  villain 
who  has  done  this  !  Mathias,  out  with  your  knife,  man." 

But  the  poor  Greek  was  utterly  cowed  ;  the  paint  had  de- 
stroyed all  his  senses  save  that  of  feeling,  which  was  fully 
exercised. 

Hunston,  although  severely  scalded,  managed  to  keep  a 
certain  proportion  of  his  wits  about  him. 

"  Come,  lads — quick,  as  you  value  your  lives !  "  he  ex- 
claimed. "  Away  !  we  must  not  risk  capture." 

He  endeavoured  to  drag  them  away. 

At  that  moment,  however,  another  actor  appeared  on  the 
scene. 

This  was  Nero. 

That  wide-awake  member  of  the  monkey  tribe  had  been 
doomed  to  share  Sunday's  apartments,  where  a  neat  bed  had 
been  made  for  him  in  one  corner. 

Hearing  a  noise,  and,  perhaps  missing  his  companion  (bro- 
ther, Jefferson  said),  he  came  down,  carrying  in  his  dexter 
paw  a  well-filled  pillow. 

He  seemed  to  recognise  Toro  at  once. 

The  valorous  ape  leaped  forward,  and  gave  his  Italian  foe 
such  a  bolstering  as  Toro  had  never  before  heard  of,  while 
the  three  spectators  laughed  and  applauded  loudly. 

Crack ! 


60  JACK  HARKAWAY  ANL    JrrS  SON'S 

The  ticking  of  the  pillow  gave  way,  and  a  shower  of 
feathers  enveloped  the  unhappy  son  of  Italy,  whose  oaths 
and  execrations  were  literally  smothered. 

"  Golly !  an't  he  a  downy  cove  ?  "  said  Monday. 

At  this  juncture,  Hunston  managed  to  grasp  his  compan- 
ions by  the  hand,  and  dragged  them  downstairs  and  out  at 
the  back  door. 

Only  just  in  time,  however,  for  Jefferson,  hearing  the  noise, 
rushed  out,  in  scanty  costume,  it  is  true,  but  fully  armed  with 
pistol  and  bowie  knife,  and  eager  for  the  fray. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "     he  demanded. 

Petrus  explained  briefly. 

Jefferson  rushed  to  the  door  and  fired  two  shots  after  the 
fugitives,  who,  however,  managed  to  get  away. 

Then  the  door  was  securely  bolted,  and  after  the  affair  had 
been  explained  to  all  the  alarmed  inmates  of  the  house,  they 
retired  to  bed,  but  not  before  Harkaway  and  his  friends  had 
shaken  Petrus  warmly  by  the  hand,  with  a  promise  that  he 
should  see  his  beloved  daughter  in  the  morning. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    BRIGAND'S    CONSPIRACY  —  THE  ARAB   ASTROLOGER — 
HARVEY'S  FIRST  APPEARANCE  AS  A  MESMERIST. 

"  THEY  are  making  fresh  efforts  to  get  Mathias  out,"  said 
Dick  Harvey  to  his  friend  Harkaway. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  a  conversation  which  took  place 
at  the  residence  of  the  Harkaway  party  just  three  days  after 
the  daring  and  audacious  attack  on  the  hotel. 

Mathias  had  been  captured  by  the  patrol  while  endeavour- 
ing to  escape,  and  thrown  in  gaol  again. 

"  Hang  their  impudence  !  "  said  Jefferson.  "  Will  nothing 
daunt  them  ?  I  wish  one  of  them  had  entered  my  room  the 
other  night ;  I  would  have  held  him  faster  than  it  seems  the 
prisons  here  can." 

"These  two  restless  vagabonds  are  up  to  their  games 
again,"  exclaimed  Dick. 

"  You  mean  Toro  ?  " 

"  Aye,  and  Hunston." 

M  What  have  they  done  now  ?  "  demanded  Jefferson. 


AD  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  6  i 

*  They  have  been  trying  to  tamper  with  the  gaolers." 
"  How  was  it  discovered  ?  " 

H  The  traitor,  whoever  he  may  be,  let  fall  a  letter  that  he 
was  carrying  to  Mathias." 

"  That's  lucky.     Well,  did  they  discover  any  thing  ?  " 

u  No  ;  it  was  written  in  cypher." 

**  The  cunning  rascals !  " 

"  Now,  I've  got  more  news  for  you,"  Dick  went  on  to 
say. 

"  Out  with  it,  then." 

"  You  have  heard  of  the  Arab  who  tells  fortunes  in  the 
town  ?  " 

"  Mehemed  Sadan,  the  great  necromancer  ?  " 

"  Yes.  Would  you  be  surprised  to  learn  that  he  is  one  of 
Mathias'  band  ?  " 

"  Why,  those  scoundrels  have  a  finger  in  every  pie." 

a  True,"  said  Harvey.  "  Now,  I  have  a  notion  to  offer 
you.  I  propose  that  we  go  there  and  test  the  truth  of  what 
I  say." 

"How?" 

"  I'll  tell  you  that  as  we  go.    Are  you  agreed  ?  " 

"  I'm  willing,"  said  Harkaway ;  "  any  thing  for  a  little 
excitement." 

Off  they  went. 

Mehemed  Sadan,  the  Arabian  magician,  carried  on  his 
occult  practices  in  a  house  in  the  best  part  of  the  town,  and 
all  his  surroundings  tended  to  show  that  the  u  black  art  "  had 
proved  a  most  profitable  commerce  to  him. 

When  Harkaway,  Jefferson,  and  Harvey  arrived  there,  they 
were  ushered  into  the  presence  of  the  magician  by  a  negro 
fancifully  attired,  wearing  silver  bands  round  his  wrists  and 
ankles,  from  which  dangled  chains  with  small  bells  attached. 

Mehemed  Sadan  was  seated  on  a  high-backed  chair,  close 
by  a  long  table,  on  which  was  a  long  cloth  of  black  velvet, 
covered  with  mystic  signs  and  letters,  which  were  all  so  much 
Greek  to  the  visitors. 

The  room  was  filled  with  all  kinds  of  things  calculated  to 
impress  the  vulgar  with  superstitious  awe. 

The  effect  was  altogether  lost  upon  Dick  Harvey,  for  he 
made  a  point  of  nodding  at  the  Arab  astrologer  in  the  most 
familiar  manner. 

"  Morning  to  you,  old  fellow,"  he  said,  cheerfully. 

*  Salaam,  sahib,"  responded  the  necromancer,  gravely. 


62  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

"  Hullo  ! "  said  Jefferson,  opening  his  eyes,  "  why,  this 
Arab  talks  Hindustani." 

"  Leave  it  to  me,"  said  Dick  Harvey,  in  an  undertone. 

The  Arab  then  said  some  few  words  to  the  company  gen- 
erally, which  the  company  generally  could  make  rather  less 
of  than  if  they  had  been  addressed  in  Chinese. 

"  He's  talking  no  known  language  under  the  sun,"  said 
Harkaway.  "  It's  my  opinion  he  has  got  the  cheek  to  talk 
regular  right-down  gibberish  to  us." 

It  was  true. 

The  words,  or  sounds,  let  us  say,  which  the  necromancer 
was  uttering,  only  sounded  but  too  much  like  "  hokey-pokey 
kickeraboo  abracadabra,"  and  the  rest  of  the  mysterious 
sounds  with  which  the  conjurer  at  juvenile  parties  seeks  to  in- 
vest his  performance  with  additional  wonder,  for  the  benefit 
of  his  youthful  audience. 

Dick  was  in  a  rage. 

"Confound  his  impudence,"  he  exclaimed;  "I'll  give 
him  one." 

So  he  let  out  in  this  wise — 

"  Chi  ki  hi-u-thundrkiold  umbuggo — canardly  keep  my 
thievinirons  off  your  wool — I  should  like  to  land  you  just  one 
on  the  smeller  and  tap  your  claret." 

At  which,  to  the  surprise  of  the  magician,  the  visitors  burst 
out  laughing. 

The  Arab  necromancer  now  asked  them,  in  very  good 
Greek,  the  object  of  their  visit. 

"  We  shall  not  understand  much  if  we  are  addressed  in 
Greek,"  said  Harkaway ;  "  try  him  in  Italian." 

And  then  they  found  that  the  conjurer  spoke  Italian  as 
well,  or  better,  than  any  of  the  party. 

"  Can  you  tell  me,"  said  Jack  Harkaway,  by  way  of  be- 
ginning business,  "  if  I  shall  succeed  in  the  present  object  of 
my  desires  or  not  ? " 

The  magician  bowed  his  head  gravely. 

Then  he  opened  a  large  volume  covered  with  mystic 
characters. 

For  a  minute  or  two  he  appeared  to  be  lost  in  deep  study, 
and  then  he  gave  his  reply. 

"  Your  desires  tend  to  the  downfall  of  some  lawless  men, 
I  find,"  he  said,  watching  them  keenly,  as  if  he  expected  to 
see  them  jump  up  in  surprise  at  his  words. 

"  They  do." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  63 

"  And  you  will  not  succeed." 

"  Does  your  art  tell  you  where  I  shall  fail  ?  "  asked  Jack. 

"  No ;  I  only  see  disappointment  and  trouble  for  you  and 
yours." 

"  Dear,  dear,  how  very  shocking,"  exclaimed  Harkaway, 
Ivinking  at  Harvey. 

"  Dreadful !  "  added  Dick,  with  a  terrified  look,  and  put- 
ting his  tongue  out  at  the  magician. 

"  What  else  does  your  art  tell  you  ?  "  demanded  Jefferson, 
who  was  anxious  to  know  how  far  the  necromancer  would  ven- 
ture to  try  and  humbug  them. 

"  I  see  here,"  said  the  conjurer,  drawing  his  finger  along 
a  line  of  something  on  an  open  "  book  of  fate,"  that  looked 
like  Arabic,  "  I  see  here  that  your  lives  are  menaced,  one  and 
all,  through  the  keeping  of  a  wretched  man  under  restraint." 

The  visitors  looked  at  each  other  and  exchanged  a  smile. 

"  Your  art  is  at  fault,"  said  Jefferson ;  "  we  have  no  one 
under  restraint." 

"  You  are  in  some  way  connected  with  it." 

"  Wrong  again." 

The  wizard  looked  uncomfortable  at  this. 

"  Strange,"  he  said,  "  and  yet  I  read  it  here  as  clearly  as 
you  might  yourself  if  it  were  written  in  a  book." 

"  You  are  mistaken,"  said  Jefferson  ;  "  we  are  in  no  way 
concerned  in  any  thing  of  the  kind." 

The  wizard  pored  over  the  mystic  tome  again. 

"  I  can  say  no  more  then,"  he  said,  "  for  here  you  are 
clearly  indicated.  You  especially  are  mentioned  as  being 
the  immediate  cause  of  his  downfall." 

"  How  am  I  indicated  ? "  demanded  Jefferson. 

"By  the  letter  J." 

"Which  you  take  for?" 

"  Your  initial." 

"  Humph  !  not  far  out.  What  an  audacious  humbug  the 
fellow  is,"  said  Jefferson  to  Jack. 

Now,  during  the  foregoing  scene,  young  Jack  and  Harry 
Girdwood  had  joined  the  party,  and  Dick  Harvey  was  ob- 
served to  be  in  close  conve'rsation  with  them. 

At  this  point  Harvey  turned  from  the  two  lads  towards 
Jefferson. 

"  The  astrologer  is  right,"  he  said,  gravely. 

"  What  the  devil  do  you  mean  ?  "  exclaimed  Jefferson. 

"  You  are  right,  sir,"  added  Dick  to  the  magician  himself. 


64  JA  CK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

The  latter  bowed. 

"  I  doubt  it  not,"  he  said  ;  "  the  stars  do  not  speak  falsely." 

"No,  no." 

"  And  so  you  may  convince  your  friend  that  I  say  no  more 
nor  less  than  the  truth." 

"  I  can,"  said  Dick,  in  a  voice  as  solemn  as  that  of  the 
necromancer  himself,  "for  I  am  a  mesmerist,  and  I  have  here 
with  me  a  clairvoyant  of  great  power." 

The  conjurer  started. 

"Where?" 

"  Here." 

He  held  out  his  hand  to  young  Jack  and  led  him  forward. 

Harkaway  and  Jefferson  stared  again. 

"  Hullo  ! "  ejaculated  old  Jack ;  "  what  the  deuce  is  mad- 
cap Dick  up  to  now  ? " 

"Can't  hazard  a  guess,"  said  Jefferson. 

u  Mesmerism  can  not  read  the  future  as  my  art  does,"  said 
the  necromancer. 

"  It  can,"  said  Dick ;  "  it  corroborates  all  you  have  said. 
I'll  give  you  a  proof  of  it  before  our  friends  here." 

And  then,  before  he  could  object,  Dick  made  a  mesmeric 
pass  or  two  across  young  Jack's  face,  and  immediately  it  ap- 
peared to  take  effect. 

Young  Jack's  eyes  were  closed,  and  for  a  moment  there 
played  about  his  mouth  a  merry  smile  of  mischief,  and  then 
he  appeared  to  be  in  a  state  of  coma. 

Never  was  mesmerism  effected  with  such  little  trouble. 

"  Now  tell  me,"  said  Dick,  with  all  the  tricks  of  manner  of 
the  professional  mesmerist,  "  tell  me  to  what  this  person 
alludes  ? " 

"  He  speaks  of  Mathias,  the  brigand  chief." 

"  True,"  said  Dick  ;  **  and  will  Mathias  escape  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  You  hear,"  said  Dick,  turning  towards  the  necromancer. 

"I  do." 

"And  therefore  it  is  useless  to  try  and  effect  the  liberation 
of  this  Mathias  ?  " 

"  Quite,"  returned  j-oung  Jack.  "  The  wizard  here  is  try- 
ing all  he  can  himself,  but  he  will  be  discovered  by  the  police 
and  thrown  into  prison.'-' 

"  Hah  !  "  exclaimed  Dick,  "  do  you  hear  that?" 

"  I  do,"  returned  the  necromancer,  "  but  it  is  false." 

"  It  is  true,"  said  Dick.     "  So  beware." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  65 

"  Ask  him  more,"  said  the  wizard,  eagerly.  "  Ask  him 
more." 

"  What  shall  I  ask  ? "  demanded  Dick. 

"  Ask  him— yet,  mark  me,  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it — ask 
him,  for  curiosity,  what  follows." 

"  Follows  what  ?  " 

"  What  he  said  last." 

"  You  mean  what  follows  being  thrown  into  prison  ? "  he 
said,  deliberately. 

"Yes."  . 

"  Do  you  hear  ? "  said  Dick. 

"  Yes,  master,"  responded  young  Jack. 

"  Speak,  then." 

By  this  time  Harkaway  the  elder  and  Jefferson  began  of 
course  to  see  what  they  were  driving  at,  and  they  became 
just  as  much  interested  as  the  wizard  himself  in  what  young 
Jack  was  going  to  say. 

"  What  follows,"  said  young  Jack,  "  is  too  dreadful  to  look 
at." 

"  Speak,"  said  Dick,  with  a  furious  'pass  across  the  lad's 
face.  "  Speak,  I  command  you.  What  follows  ? " 

"  I  see  the  wizard  hanging  by  the  neck — there,"  and  young 
Jack  pointed  straight  before  him. 

The  necromancer  looked  as  unhappy  as  possible  when  he 
heard  young  Jack's  words. 

"  Do  you  know  enough,"  asked  Dick  Harvey,  "  or  would 
you  learn  more  yet  ?  " 

The  wizard  essayed  to  smile,  but  it  was  a  sickly  attempt, 
and  it  died  away  in  a  ghastly  manner. 

"  I  can  not  believe  a  word  of  what  you  say,  but  still  let  him 
speak  on." 

Dick  frowned. 

"  If  you  are  a  scoffer,"  he  said,  sternly,  "  my  clairvoyant 
will  not  speak." 

"  I  am  no  scoffer,"  returned  the  necromancer ;  "  speak  on." 

"  What  would  you  know  ? " 

"  When  is  my  danger  to  begin  ?     Let  him  say  that." 

"  Speak,"  sa'id  Dick,  making  mesmeric  passes  across  Jack's 
face. 

"  He  need  fear  nothing  at  present,"  said  young  Jack. 

The  wizard  drew  a  long  breath  of  relief. 

"  The  police  are  below,"  continued  young  Jack,  "  but  for 
ten  minutes  there  is  no  danger." 
5 


66  JA  CK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  Ten  minutes !  " 

"  Yes." 

"  And  after  ? "  gasped  the  wizard,  breathlessly. 

"  Then  he  is  doomed,"  said  young  Jack,  in  sepulchral  tones. 
"  The  wizard  will  be  numbered  with  the  dead." 

Thereupon,  the  necromancer  was  taken  suddenly  queer, 
and  he  retreated  with  a  few  confused  words  of  excuse. 

"  He's  gone,"  said  Dick,  laughing. 

They  pushed  aside  the  curtains  where  the  magician  had 
disappeared,  and  found  that  there  was  a  back  staircase. 

"  There  he  goes,  there  he  goes  !  "  cried  Harry  Girdwood, 
excitedly. 

"  Yes,  and  he  has  left  his  skin,"  said  young  Jack. 

Upon  the  stairs  was  the  long  black  velvet  robe  covered 
with  tin-foil  ornaments,  with  which  the  necromancer  was  wont 
to  frighten  the  ignorant  and  superstitious  peasants  who  came 
to  consult  him  out  of  their  wits. 

"I'll  frighten  old  Mole  with  this,"  said  young  Jack. 

"  I  don't  suppose  that  they'll  try  to  frighten  us  again  into 
helping  Mathias,  the  brigand  chief,  out  of  prison,"  said  Hark- 
away,  laughing. 

"  He  shall  hang  as  high  as  Haman,"  said  Jefferson,  sternly. 
"  Of  that  I  am  so  determined,  that  if  there  were  no  one  else, 
I  would  willingly  fix  the  noose  myself.  But  hang  he  shall  for 
murdering  my  poor  and  noble  friend  Brand." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   CONDEMNED   CELL — MATHIAS    ESCAPED— WHERE    HAS    HE 
GONE  ? — THE  BLOOD  ON  THE  HEARTH — A  TALE  OF  TERROR. 

THE  schemes  set  on  foot  by  the  friends  of  Mathias  for  his 
release  were  so  many  and  so  unceasing  that  the  greatest 
precautions  had  to  be  taken  to  keep  him  in  safety. 

Rules  were  made,  and  for  awhile  most  rigidly  enforced, 
that  not  a  soul  was  to  be  permitted  to  visit  the  prisoner  ;  but 
the  exception  proves  the  rule,  and  there  was  an  exception 
made  in  favour  of  a  lady  who  came  and  pleaded  so  earnestly 
to  the  governor  of  the  prison  that  he  could  not  find  the  cour- 
age to  refuse  her. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  67 

The  lady  was  shown  into  the  cell  which  Mathias  had  lately 
occupied. 

Lately?  Yes. 

The  bird  had  flown. 

But  how  had  he  got  free  ? 

Where  had  he  gone  ? 

Not  a  soul  in  the  prison  had  the  vaguest  notion. 

The  gaoler  stared  and  gaped  like  one  in  a  dream. 

"  Where  is  Mathias?  "  demanded  the  woman. 

"That's  more  than  I  can  guess,"  responded  the  gaoler, 
rubbing  his  eyes  as  though  he  could  not  believe  their  evi- 
dence. 

"  Have  you  mistaken  the  cell  ?" 

"  Not  I." 

"  Has  he  been  removed?  " 

"No/5 

She  stared  him  straight  in  the  face  for  a  moment  or  two, 
and  then  she  burst  out  into  a  fit  of  laughter. 

"Ha,  ha,  ha!  Why,  he  has  escaped.  He  has  escaped 
He  has  beaten  your  vigilance — baffled  you  all  in  spite  of  locks, 
bolts  and  bars,  and  all  your  watching." 

The  gaoler  scratched  his  head. 

"  Let  us  look." 

"  Look  !  why,  you  can  see  everything  here  at  a  glance-^ 
everything.  There  are  four  walls.  There  is  the  bedstead  ; 
you  can  see  under  it.  There  is  not  room  for  a  man  to  creep 
under  there.  There  is  the  fireplace,  and  there  is  the  win- 
dow." 

"  Ha  !  "  ejaculated  the  gaoler,  "  the  window." 

"  What  then  ?  " 

"  There  is  no  other  way  ;  he  must  have  escaped  that  way, 
undoubtedly." 

"  Nonsense,"  said  the  woman  ;  "  don't  you  see  that  is  too 
high  up  from  the  ground." 

"  He  has  found  a  way  to  climb  up  there,  then." 

"  But  the  iron  bars  are  all  in  their  places  still." 

"  True,"  said  the  gaoler,  thoroughly  puzzled,  "  true. 
Where  can  he  have  got  to  ? " 

"It  is  simple  enough." 

"  How  so  ?  " 

"  He  never  attempted  the  window.  He  has  walked  out 
through  the  door  being  left  open." 

"  Never !  " 


68  JA  CK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  Money  carrdo  more  than  that,  and  I  rejoice  at  his  free- 
dom." 

She  moved  to  the  door. 

But  the  gaoler  held  her  back  rather  roughly. 

"  Stop  you  here,"  he  said,  rudely  ;  "  I  shall  have  to  report 
this  to  the  governor,  and  you  had  better  remain  until  the  job 
has  been  investigated." 

And  before  the  startled  woman  could  divine  his  intention, 
he  swung  to  the  door  and  shot  the  bolt. 

Then  pushing  back  the  trap  in  the  door,  he  added  a  few 
words  through  the  grating. 

"You'll  be  safer  there,"  said  he,  "  unless  you  can  manage 
to  get  out  as  Mathias  did.  But  the  devil  himself  must  have 
a  compact  with  Mathias !  " 

"  At  least  leave  me  the  light,"  she  said,  imploringly. 

"  Against  orders,"  was  all  the  answer  vouchsafed. 

The  trap  was  shut. 

The  woman  was  left  a  prisoner,  in  total  darkness. 


There  is  always  something  unpleasant  in  darkness,  and  this 
woman  was  by  no  means  iron-nerved. 

No  sooner  was  she  alone,  than  a  painful  sensation  of  un- 
easiness stole  over  her. 

>'  They  can  not  keep  me  long  here,"  she  kept  murmuring 
to  herself;  "I  have  done  nothing;  I  am  accused  of  no  of- 
fence. The  governor  will  set  me  at  liberty  as  soon  as  he 
knows.  Could  any  thing  be  more  unfortunate  ?  Mathias 
was  a  prisoner,  and  I  was  at  liberty.  Now  Mathias  is  free, 
and  I  am  a  prisoner.  Cruel  fate  to  separate  us.  We  are 
destined  to  be  parted." 

The  gloom  grew  oppressive  now. 

She  stood  still,  listening  in  painful  silence  for  five  minutes 
together — five  minutes  that  appeared  to  be  as  many  hours. 

A  silence  so  solemn,  so  death-like,  that  she  could  hear  the 
very  beating  of  her  heart.  This  grew  unbearable. 

She  groped  her  way  around  the  cell  to  find  the  bed,  and 
approaching  the  fireplace,  she  was  suddenly  startled  by  a 
sound. 

A  very  faint  noise,  as  of  something  dripping  on  the  flag- 
stones by  her  feet. 

In  the  tomb-like  silence  then  reigning,  the  faintest  sound 
caused  her  to  feel  uncomfortable. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  69 

She  listened  awhile  intently,  asking  herself  what  it  could 
mean. 

Drip,  drip,  drip ! 

It  was  strange. 

When  the  light  was  there,  she  had  not  noticed  it  at  all. 

What  could  it  be  then,  that  was  only  to  be  heard  in  the 
dark? 

Was  it  fancy  ? 

No. 

It  was  too  real. 

There  was  no  mistaking  it. 

If  the  oppressive  gloom  of  the  cell  started  strange  sounds 
or  strange  fancies  in  her  head,  why  should  it  take  such  a 
shape  as  that  ? 

Why,  indeed  ? 

"  Would  to  Heaven  they  were  back  with  the  light,"  she 
said.  "  Will  they  never  come  ?  " 

Just  then,  as  though  her  earnest  wish  were  heard  and  an- 
swered, a  faint  thin  streak  of  light  was  shot  into  the  cell 
through  the  grated  window  above. 

This  was  reflected  from  a  chamber  in  the  prison  whose 
window  was  close  by  the  window  of  this  cell,  and  where  a 
lamp  had  just  been  lighted. 

The  welcome  ray  shot  straight  across  the  cell  where  she 
stood  by  the  fireplace,  and  she  remarked  that  the  dripping 
did  not  cease. 

Drip,  drip,  drip ! 

She  looked  down. 

"I  see,  I  see,"  she  shudderingly  exclaimed,  "it  is  raining, 
and  the  rain  is  falling  down  the  chimney.  How  foolish  of 
me  to  get  alarmed  about  nothing." 

Now  the  light,  we  have  said,  shot  across  the  hearth,  and 
here  it  was  that  the  drip,  drip,  drip,  fell. 

"  Same  as  I  thought." 

As  she  muttered  this  to  herself,  she  stretched  forth  her 
hand  under  the  chimney,  and  the  next  drop  fell  upon  it. 

It  was  not  water. 

No,  imperfect  as  was  the  light  then,  it  sufficed  to  show  her 
that  upon  her  hand  was  a  curiously  dark  stain. 

Raising  it  nearer  to  her  eyes,  she  examined  it  eagerly. 

Then  she  shuddered,  and  exclaimed  in  a  voice  of  terror— 

"  Blood ! " 

Yes,  it  was  blood. 


70  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

Pen  can  not  describe  the  terror  of  that  wretched  woman 
upon  making  this  alarming  discovery. 

"  Blood  !  Whose  ?  Hah  !  whose  blood  ?  Whose  but  his 
— whose  but  the  blood  of  my  darling — my  own  Mathias  ?  " 

For  a  moment  the  thought  completely  unnerved  her,  and 
it  was  little  short  of  a  miracle  that  she  kept  from  fainting. 

But  she  fought  bravely  with  the  deathly  horror  stealing 
over  her. 

And  kneeling  on  the  hearth,  she  called  up,  yet  in  gentie 
voice,  lest  she  should  give  the  alarm — 

"  Mathias  !  Mathias,  my  own  !  Do  you  not  know  me  ? 
Mathias,  I  say  ! " 

She  listened — listened  eagerly  for  a  reply. 

And  presently  it  came — a  dull,  hollow  moan,  a  cry  of  an- 
guish that  chilled  the  blood  in  her  heart,  that  froze  the  very 
marrow  in  her  bones. 

"  Mathias,  darling  Mathias !  answer  me  for  the  love  of 
mercy ;  I  shall  die  else." 

Another  moan  was  heard. 

Fainter  and  fainter  even  than  the  first. 

Yet  full  of  pent-up  suffering. 

A  sound  that  told  a  whole  tale  of  anguish. 

"  Mathias,  come  to  me,"  she  called  again. 

"  Oh-h-h  !  " 

A  fearfully  prolonged  groan  came  down  to  her,  louder  than 
before,  as  if  the  sufferer  had  put  all  his  remaining  strength 
into  the  effort. 

Then  all  was  silent. 

Eagerly  she  listened,  straining  forward  to  catch  the  faintest 
breath. 

But  the  voice  above  was  stilled  for  ever. 

And  yet  the  drip,  drip,  drip  continued,  and  as  she  stretched 
forward  beneath  the  chimney,  she  caught  the  drops  upon 
her  face. 

Then  she  could  no  longer  thrust  back  conviction. 

With  a  wild  cry  of  terror  she  drew  back,  and  groped  her 
way  round  the  room  towards  the  door. 

Her  hand  rested  upon  the  grated  trap,  and  she  pushed  it 
back  with  all  her  force,  crying  aloud  for  help  as  she  did  so. 
•  "  Help,  help  ! "  she  shouted  with  the  energy  of  despair ; 
"  Mathias  is  dying." 

But  that  wretched  man  would  not  trouble  the  authorities 
more. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  71 

His  last  breath  had  been  drawn  as  she  stood  there  listen- 
ing to  those  awesome  sounds. 

What  could  be  the  solution  of  this  mystery  ! 

This  would  be  known  soon  now,  for  the  sounds  of  foot- 
steps were  distinctly  heard  now  in  the  long  stone  corridors 
of  the  prison. 

The  gaolers  had  given  the  alarm  at  once  of  the  prisoner's 
escape,  and  the  outlets  of  the  prison  were  guarded  in  all 
directions,  while  a  party  was  sent  to  the  cell  to  investigate 
the  matter  thoroughly. 

At  the  head  of  this  party  was  the  governor  himself. 

The  time  had  appeared  ten  times  as  long  to  the  unhappy 
woman  as  it  was  in  reality. 

"  Help,  help !  oh,  help  !  "  she  cried. 

At  each  effort  she  grew  weaker  and  weaker.  Her  voice 
died  away,  and  when  they  reached  the  door  of  the  cell,  they 
found  her  hanging  by  the  bars  of  the  grated  window  or  trap 
more  dead  than  alive. 

"  Show  the  light,"  ejaculated  the  governor. 

And  then,  as  the  rays  fell  upon  that  face,  pallid  as  the 
flesh  of  a  corpse,  save  where  the  dark  blood  stains  had  set- 
tled, there  was  an  involuntary  exclamation  of  horror  from  all 
the  beholders. 

"  Father  of  mercy,"  cried  one  of  the  men  ;  "  she  has  de- 
stroyed herself." 

Such  was  the  general  idea. 

She  had  committed  suicide. 

In  this,  however,  they  were  speedily  undeceived. 

To  burst  open  the  door  and  rush  into  the  cell  was  but  the 
work  of  a  moment. 

At  this  the  woman  rallied  a  little  and  recovered  herself. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  asked  the  governor. 

"  The  chimney !  "  gasped  the  woman  faintly. 

"  The  chimney !     Speak — explain." 

"  His  blood — Mathias's,"  she  said  ;  "  see  the  chimney.  I 
dare  not  look." 

Two  of  the  men  by  now  had  approached  the  chimney,  and 
lowering  the  light  they  carried,  one  of  them  discovered  a 
dark  ominous  pool  upon  the  hearth. 

"Call  the  doctor ;  there  is  something  more  than  meets  the 
eye  in  this." 

This  order  was  promptly  obeyed,  and  a  surgeon  was 
speedily  in  attendance. 


77  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

A  mere  cursory  glance  convinced  the  man  of  skill  that 
the  blood  upon  the  woman's  face  was  not  her  own,  and  just 
as  he  arrived  at  the  decision,  drip,  drip,  drip  it  began  again 
upon  the  hearth. 

The  men  looked  at  each  other  half  scared,  and  the  gov- 
ernor himself  was  scarcely  more  self-possessed. 

The  surgeon  alone  retained  his  presence  of  mind. 

Snatching  a  lamp  from  one  of  the  men,  he  thrust  it  as  far  as 
his  arm  could  reach  up  the  chimney  and  looked  earnestly  up. 
'  As  I  thought !  "  he  exclaimed. 
;  What  ?  "  demanded  the  governor,  eagerly. 
;  He  is  there." 
Who  ? " 

'  Who  but  the  prisoner  ?  Mathias  is  there — hopelessly 
stuck — wedged  in.  He  has  been  trying  to  escape  and  has 
hurt  himself." 

The  woman  looked  up  at  these  words. 

"  Is  it  no  worse  ? "  she  asked.     "  Is  he  badly  hurt  ?  " 

"  I  can  not  say  yet,"  said  the  surgeon  ;  "  we  must  get  him 
down  first." 

This  proved  a  very  difficult  matter  indeed. 

The  flue  was  so  narrow  that  it  was  sheer  madness  to  at- 
tempt climbing  it. 

Eagerly  Mathias  had  pushed  on,  and  finally  got  himself 
wedged  inextricably. 

He  could  neither  move  up  nor  down. 

It  was  when  he  made  this  alarming  discovery  that  his 
struggles  became  desperate,  and  in  his  wild  efforts  to  free 
himself  from  his  self-set  trap,  he  tore  and  mutilated  his  flesh 
most  cruelly. 

The  wounds  and  the  want  of  air  had  done  their  work. 

An  hour's  hard  work  succeeded  in  setting  the  prisoner 
free — or  rather  his  body,  for  it  was  found  that  life  had  been 
extinct,  according  to  the  surgeon's  report,  before  they  had 
entered  the  cell. 

And  when  they  came  to  examine  the  clothes,  they  made 
a  discovery  which  threw  a  light  upon  the  whole  affair. 

A  small  scrap  of  paper,  dirty  and  crumpled  was  found  in 
his  pocket,  upon  which  was  some  writing  that  was  with  great 
difficulty  construed  in  this  wise — 

"  The  only  hope  is  from  the  waterside.  If  you  can  but 
reach  the  roof,  and  have  the  courage  to  make  the  plunge, 
freedom  will  be  your  reward." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


73 


How  this  note  came  there  was  never  discovered. 
With  this  dire  catastrophe  ended  the  efforts  of  the  brigands 
to  free  their  unhappy  leader. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MR.  MOLE  VISITS  THE   WIZARD — THE  MAGIC   MIRROR  AND   THE 
LIFE-LIKE  VISION THE  INCANTATION — THE  CHARMED  WIG. 

"  IN  point  of  fact,  sir,"  said  young  Jack  to  his  tutor  one 
morning,  "  it  is  about  the  only  thing  worth  seeing  here." 

"  What  is,  Jack  ?  " 

"  The  wizard." 

Mr.  Mole  looked  very  straight  at  his  pupil  upon  this. 

"  What  wizard,  sir  ? "  he  said,  severely.  "  What  do  you 
mean  ? " 

"  I  mean  the  conjuror  that  Mr.  Jefferson,  and  dad,  and 
Uncle  Dick  went  to  see." 

"  When  ? " 

"  The  other  day.     Didn't  they  tell  you  about  it  ? " 

"  No,  sir." 

When  Mr.  Mole  addressed  his  pupil  as  "  sir,"  young  Jack 
knew  pretty  well  that  he  thought  he  was  being  humbugged. 

There  is  an  old  saying — "  Jack  was  as  good  as  his  master." 

Putting  on  a  look  of  injured  innocence,  he  called  his  com- 
rade Harry  to  corroborate  what  he  had  said. 

"  That's  quite  true,  Mr.  Mole." 

"  That  Mr.  Jefferson  went  with  Mr.  Harkaway  and  Harvey 
to  see  a  necromancer  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Preposterous !  "  quoth  Mr.  Mole.  "  Why,  whatever  is  the 
world  coming  to  next  ?  We  shall  have  them  spirit-rapping 
and  table-turning  and  such-like  muck,  I  suppose." 

Jack  looked  serious. 

"  Then  you  don't  believe  in  necromancy — that  they  can 
tell  the  past  and  the  future  by  the  aid  of  astrology  ?  " 

"Pickles!" 

It  would  have  astonished  Messieurs  Crosse  and  Blackwell 
themselves,  could  they  have  heard  what  a  deal  that  one 
word  could  convey  when  uttered  by  an  Isaac  Mole. 


74  /AC*?  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

"  Well,  sir,"  said  Harry  Girdwood,  seriously,  "  the  wizard 
told  us  some  very  remarkable  things  indeed." 

"  What  did  he  tell  you  ? " 

"  Many  things,  many  very  wonderful  things  ;  but  one  of 
the  most  wonderful  was  about  you,  sir." 

Mr.  Mole  started. 

"  Don't  you  try  to  come  the  old  soldier  over  me,"  said 
Mole. 

Harry  Girdwood  protested  that  he  held  Mr.  Mole  in  far 
too  much  respect  to  essay  any  thing  like  coming  the  ancient 
military,  or  indeed  anything  else  which  might  be  construed 
into  want  of  proper  feeling. 

Mr.  Mole  looked  hard  at  him. 

"  And  what  did  he  say  about  me  ? " 

"  He  said  that  all  the  intelligence  of  our  party  was  centred 
in  one  person." 

"  Well  ? " 

"  And  that  the  initials  of  the  person  in  question  were 
I.  M." 

"  Now,  Jack." 

"  Sir." 

"  You  two  boys  are  conspiring  against  me." 

"You  are  rather  hard  upon  us,  sir,"  said  Harry  Girdwood, 
with  an  injured  look. 

"Was  I?  Dear  me,  I  didn't  mean  that,"  said  poor  Mole. 
"  But  I'll  go  and  see  this  wizard,  as  you  call  him." 

"  It  might  startle  you,  sir." 

"Stuff  and  nonsense,  Harry ;  my  nerves  are  iron — iron,  I 
tell  you." 

"They  had  need  be  of  steel,  if  you  really  mean  to  go." 

"  I'll  go,  and  you  shall  go  with  me,  Harry,"  said  Mr.  Mole  ; 
"  and  I'll  unmask  this  wretched  impostor  before  you." 

And  down  came  his  clenched  fist  upon  the  table,  with  a 

fierceness  and  energy  which  made  all  the  things  leap  up. 

****** 

The  chamber  of  mystery  was  arranged  with  a  keen  eye  to 
effect. 

The  present  possessors  of  the  place  had  preserved  all  the 
adjuncts  which  had  looked  so  effective  during  the  career  of 
the  necromancer,  who  had  fled  ignominiously. 

A  huge  stuffed  alligator  swung  from  the  ceiling,  and  the 
lighting  of  the  room  was  effected  by  means  of  two  or  three 
swinging  lamps,  that  burnt  dimly  blue,  and  made  the  place 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


75 


look  sepulchral  enough  to  satisfy  the  most  morbid  cravings 
for  the  horrible. 

At  the  further  end  of  the  room  was  a  "  charmed  circle," 
drawn  with  chalk,  and  set  around  it  was  a  row  of  hideous  grin- 
ning skulls,  which  suggested  that  a  hint  had  been  borrowed 
from  Zamiel,  in  "  Der  Freyschutz." 

Besides  these  matters,  there  were  several  skeletons  stuck  up 
in  the  most  alarming  attitudes. 

Beside  the  chair  was  a  large  oval  frame. 

Upon  the  other  side  of  the  necromancer's  chair  was  a  heavy 
curtain,  or  portitre  of  cloth,  covered  with  fantastic  figures,  and 
this  was  drawn  aside  a  minute  or  so  after  Mr.  Mole  and 
Harry  Girdwood  appeared. 

Then,  through  the  dark  aperture  thus  disclosed,  the  wizard 
hobbled  in. 

Not  the  wizard  that  we  have  seen  before,  but  a  little  old 
man  bent  half  double  with  age,  and  of  whom  little  was  to  be 
seen  save  a  long  white  beard  and  an  appropriate  robe. 

He  leant  heavily  upon  a  staff,  and  sank  into  his  chair  with 
evident  pain  and  difficulty. 

"  What  would  ye  with  me  ? "  said  the  necromancer,  in  fee- 
ble, querulous  tones.  "  If  ye  have  come  to  scoff  again,  be- 
gone ere  I  summon  an  evil  spirit  to  blight  ye." 

Mr.  Mole  said  nothing. 

But  when  Harry  Girdwood  placed  his  hand  nervously  upon 
the  old  gentleman's  arm,  as  if  for  protection,  he  felt  that  he 
was  trembling  slightly. 

"  He  knows  that  we  are  English,  you  see,"  whispered  Harry. 

"  Ye-es — ahem  ! — ye-es." 

'*  Do  you  hear  me  ?  "  said  the  wizard. 

"  Ye-es,  oh,  yes,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Mole,  who  could  not,  for 
the  life  of  him,  get  his  voice  above  a  whisper. 

"Then  answer." 

"  By  all  means  !  decidedly— quite  so,  I  assure  you." 

"  What  ?     Beware  !     Do  you  mean  to  doubt  and   mock  ? " 

"Oh,  dear;  yes." 

"  Hah ! " 

"  That  is,  no.     I  really  don't  know  what  I  am  saying." 

"  Silence,  or  the  fiends  will  have  your  ber-lud  ber-lud — 
Do  you  hear  me  ?  "  shrieked  the  old  wizard. 

"  Quite  so.  Dear,  dear  me,  Harry,"  said  Mr.  Mole  in  an 
undertone,  "what  a  very  remarkable  person,  and  I  don't 
want  to  lose  my  ber-lud." 


y  6  JA CK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  What  do  you  say  now,  sir  ?    Do  you  feel  sure  that  he  is 

a  humbug  ? " 

"  Of  course  not,  but n 

At  this  juncture  their  conversation  was  cut  short  by  a  low, 
rumbling  noise,  that  sounded  like  distant  thunder. 

As  it  continued,  it  increased  in  strength,  until  it  became 
absolutely  deafening. 

Then  suddenly,  upon  a  sign  from  the  necromancer,  it  ceased, 
and  the  man  of  mystery  arose  and  pointed  menacingly  with 
his  wand  at  Mole. 

"  Ye  have  thought  well  to  neglect  my  warning,"  he  said, 
in  a  voice  which  thrilled  poor  Mole  strangely  ;  "  the  secrets  of 
your  inmost  heart  are  known  to  me  as  to  my  familiar,  and 
the  penalty  must  be  enacted." 

Mole  bounced  up. 

"  Goodness  me  !  " 

Harry  Girdwood  laid  a  trembling  hand  upon  the  unhappy 
old  gentleman,  and  played  the  part  of  Job's  comforter  one* 
again  with  considerable  effect 

"  We  are  lost." 

"  Don't,  Harry,  don't !  Pray  consider  Mrs.  Mole  and  the 
two  babes." 

"  Try  and  melt  him  with  a  very  humble  apology." 

**  I  will,  I  do  1 "  exclaimed  Mr.  Mole  in  great  excitement. 
"  I  really  did  not  mean  it,  Mr.  Conjuror  ;  'pon  my  soul,  I  did 
not ;  and  pray  do  not  let  your  vampires  take  my  ber-lud." 

"  Enough,"  said  the  wizard,  sternly;  "  for  once  your  igno- 
rance shall  excuse  you.  Now  say  what  you  would  have  with 
me  and  begone." 

"  I  think  I  should  like  to  go,"  Mole  whispered  to  Harry. 

"  What  for  ? " 

"  We  have  been  a  long  while  here,"  said  Mr.  Mole  in  the 
same  tone ;  "  Mrs.  M.  will  be  looking  for  me." 

"  Perhaps  you  don't  feel  quite  comfortable  here." 

"  Comfortable,"  said  Mr.  Mole  with  a  sickly  smile  ;  "  oh, 
dear  me,  yes,  I  never  was  jollier." 

"  A  little  nervous  perhaps,  sir." 

"  My  dear  boy,"  said  Mole,  positively,  "  I  have  nerves  of 
iron,  literally  iron.  Ha  !  what  noise  is  that  ? " 

"  Only  the  magician's  evil  spirit,  or  his  familiar,"  as  he  calls 
it." 

"  Strange,*'  said  Mole ;     "  but  sheer  humbug  of  course." 

"  Humbug  ?  " 


A D  VEN  TURES  IN  GREECE.  7 7 

"  Hush !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Mole,  very  anxiously. 

Bang  went  that  deafening  thunder  again,  and  Mr.  Mole 
hopped  towards  the  door. 

Harry  Girdwood  followed  him  closely  up. 

"  You  are  uncomfortable,  Mr.  Mole.'' 

"  Not  at  all ;     nerves  of  adamant,  Harry." 

The  latter  laughed. 

Never  was  there  such  an  audacious  humbug  as  Isaac 
Mole. 

"  You  see  that  frame,  sir,  beside  the  wizard's  chair  ? "  said 
Girdwood. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Mr.  Mole ;  "  what  of  it  ? " 

"  He  showed  us  some  marvels  there  last  time." 

"  What  is  it  ? " 

"  A  magic  mirror." 

"  You  must  have  been  thoroughly  well  cheated ;  now,  what 
could  he  have  shown  you  there  ? " 

"  Wonders,"  replied  Harry  impressively  ;  "  you,  amongst 
other  marvels." 

"Me?" 

"  Yes." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  I  mean,  sir,  that  you  appeared  before  us  as  plainly  as  I 
see  you  now." 

Mr.  Mole  certainly  looked  serious  at  this. 

"  He  can  show  you  anyone  you  may  want  to  see,"  said 
Harry. 

"  Never ! " 

"  Try  him." 

"  I  will,"  said  Mr.  Mole,  with  a  show  of  determination,  but 
shaking  all  over. 

"  Now,  O  sceptic,  what  proof  of  my  lore  would  ye  have  ? 
Would  ye  know  something  of  yourself  ? " 

"  No." 

"  Yes,"  said  Harry  Girdwood  for  him  promptly. 

The  wizard  inclined  his  head  gravely,  and  opened  a  large 
volume  before  him  upon  the  table. 

After  poring  over  this  for  a  time,  he  said  the  follow- 
ing doggrel  in  a  deep  bass  voice — 

"  The  doom  of  Mole  is  understood, 
For  ever  more  to  walk  on  wood  ; 
Though  upon  macadam  or  stone 
Yet  he  shall  walk  on  wood  alone. 


78  JA  CK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  Let  him  march  out  on  asphalte — tile, 
In  orange  groves  his  thoughts  beguile ; 
Where'er  he  be,  the  fate  of  Mole's 
To  scud  through  life  upon  bare  poles." 

This  peculiar  incantation  had  its  effect  somewhat  increased 
by  soft  music. 

"  Ahem ! "  said  Mr.  Mole,  "  it  didn't  want  a  wizard  to  tell 
me  that." 

"  What,   sir  ?  "  demanded    Harry,    innocently. 

"  About  my  wooden  legs  ;  my  infirmity  is  visible  to  every 
body." 

"  But  how  could  he  know  ? " 

"  By  looking." 

"  Still  sceptical,"  said  the  wizard,  who  had  very  sharp  ears ; 
"  shall  I  consult  my  book  again  ?  " 

"  No,  no,"  said  Mr.  Mole,  uneasily. 

But  Harry  Girdwood  said  "  Yes." 

He  did  not  want  to  end  the  scene  yet. 

"  What  would  you  ? "     demanded  the  magician  sternly. 

Harry  commenced  to  whisper  to  Mr.  Mole. 

*  Come,  sir,  pluck  up  your  courage,  and  find  out  something 
about  yourself.  You  know  the  past — why  not  ask  him  about 
the  future?" 

"  He  might  be  rude  enough  to  say  something  unpleasant, 
Harry.  However,  I'll  try  him." 

Then,  with  a  very  polite  bow,  Mr.  Mole  asked — 

"  Can  you  tell  me,  Mr.  Magician,  what  my  ultimate  fate  is  ?  " 

The  necromancer  took  two  steps  forward  and  seized  Mr. 
Mole's  hand. 

"  I  find  that  the  line  of  life  is  tinged  with  the  hue  of  blood," 
said  he,  in  solemn  tones,  after  a  lengthened  inspection  of  the 
palm. 

"  Dear  me,  how  unpleasant — I  washed  my  hands  not  long 
ago." 

"  Man !  do  you  think  you  can  wash  away  the  decrees  of 
fate  or  sponge  out  the  solemn  words  written  by  the  stars  ? 
You  are  an  Englishman  ?  " 

"  Certainly." 

"  Already  six  Englishman  have  sought  me,  and  each  of 
the  six  died  a  terrible  death.  What  says  the  book  ? — 

"  A  terrible  death  on  this  green  earth, 

With  never  the  slightest  chance  of  heaven ; 
Let  him  curse  the  day — the  hour  of  his  birth, 
The  English  victim  nmbered  seven." 


ADVENTURES  JN  GREECE.  79 

"  And  yoo  are  Number  Seven,  Mr.  Mole.     May  all  the 

powers  of  heaven  and  earth  preserve  me  from  such  a  terrible 
doom  as  yours." 

Mr.  Mole  almost  tainted  when  the  magician  uttered  such 
fearful  words  respecting  his  (Mole's)  fate. 

Harry  Girdwood,  however,  handed  him  a  rum  flask,  and  a 
good  pull  at  that  restored  his  nerves. 

"  Pooh  ! "  said  he,  "  I  don't  believe  a  word  he  uttered." 

"  Still  sceptical  ? "  said  the  magician.  "  But  to  convince 
you  of  my  power,  I  will  show  you  any  thing  you  like  in  my 
magic  mirror." 

"  Very  well,  then,  I  should  like  to  see  Harkaway  and 
Harvey  at  this  present  moment — just  to  ascertain  what  they 
are  doing — that  will  be  a  test." 

He  chuckled  as  he  said  this. 

But  as  he  spoke  the  magic  mirrcr  grew  light,  and  two  fig- 
ures were  seen,  set,  as  it  were,  in  a  frame. 

Jack  Harkaway  the  elder,  was  seated  in  an  arm-chair  read- 
ing ;  beside  him  stood  his  constant  companion,  Dick  Harvey. 

The  latter's  figure  was  the  more  remarkable  of  the  two, 
and  the  attitude  was  not  merely  characteristic,  but  it  was 
startlingly  like  life. 

One  hand  was  in  his  pocket ;  the  other  was  at  his  face, 
the  thumb  pointing  at  his  nose,  the  fingers  outstretched 
towards  the  audience. 

"What  do  you  think  of  that  ?  "  asfced  Harry  Girdwood,  in 
low  tones. 

"  Marvellous  !  "  cried  Mole;  "  that  is  Harkaway  and  Har- 
vey, sure  enough.  Harvey  has  got  something  the  matter 
with  his  nose." 

"  No,"  whispered  Harry,  "  he's  taking  a  sight  at  you." 

"  So  he  is.    Just  like  Harvey.     Harvey  !  "  he  called  out. 

The  mirror  darkened,  and  the  figures  faded  away  from 
the  sight  upon  the  instant. 

"  Do  you  desire  still  another  proof  of  my  skill  ? "  asked 
the  wizard. 

"  Well  you  can,  if  you  like,  tell  me  something  more  about 
myself ;  but  don't  put  yourself  to  any  trouble." 

The  wizard  leant  over  his  book  earnestly  for  a  consider 
able  time. 

"  1  see  here,"  said  he,  "  that  you  have  contrived  to  keep 
one  important  matter  secret  from  your  friends." 

*  What  ?  •'• 


So  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOtTS 

"  The  hairs  of  your  head  are  numbered,"  continued  th% 
wizard. 

Mr.  Mole  changed  colour. 

"How— what  ?" 

"  By  the  barber  ;  you  wear  a  wig." 

"  Oh,  no — no  !  "  exclaimed  Harry  Girdwood,  positively. 
"  You  are  wrong  there,  sir,  I  assure  you.  Is  he  not,  Mr. 
Mole  ? " 

"  Of  course  he  is." 

"Will  you  see  for  yourself,  unbelieving  boy?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Harry. 

"  Where — say,  where  shall  my  familiar  take  it  ?  * 

"  Up  to  the  ceiling." 

Mr.  Mole  groaned. 

At  the  self-same  instant  out  went  the  lights ;  a  heavy 
hand  was  placed  upon  Mr.  Mole's  head,  and  hey,  presto  ! 
his  wig  was  seen  dancing  about  at  the  ceiling,  glittering 
with  a  phosphorescent  light  upon  it. 

Mr.  Mole  looked  up,  gave  one  awful  yell,  then  made  for 
the  door,  and  flew  away  as  fast  as  his  wooden  legs  would 
carry  him. 

And  his  yells  continued,  for  all  along  his  route  young  Jack 
had  sprinkled  a  plentiful  supply  of  crackers,  which  exploded 
as  he  ran. 

An  unearthly  chorus,  sounding  like  the  discordant  laughter 
of  invisible  fiends  greeted  his  retreat,  and  he  never  stopped 
until  he  had  got  home,  panting  and  gasping  for  breath. 

As  soon  as  he  was  out  of  the  room  Harry  Girdwood  locked 
the  door. 

"Come  forth,  my  merry  devils!"  he  shouted.  "Old 
Mole's  gone." 

The  curtain  was  drawn  back,  and  in  came  Dick  Harvey 
and  Jack  Harkaway,  carrying  lights. 

The  wizard  threw  back  his  head  dress  and  long  horsehair 
wig,  and  showed  the  grinning  face  of  young  Jack  himself. 

"  Bravo,  Jack,"  said  his  comrade,  Harry ;  "  you  did  it 
ever  so  much  better  than  the  other  conjuror  did." 

"  Was  he  frightened  ?  "  inquired  young  Jack. 

"  Poor  old  Mole  !    I  never  saw  him  so  alarmed  before." 

Harvey  and  old  Jack  enjoyed  the  fun  every  bit  as  much  as 
the  boys. 

"  My  opinion  is,"  said  the  elder  Harkaway,  laughing,  "  that 
the  triumph  of  the  whole  job  was  in  the  dancing  wig." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  8l 

"  It  was  beautifully  done,"  said  Harvey. 

"  I  nearly  missed  it,"  said  Harry  Girdwood  laughing,  "  for 
you  put  out  the  lights  so  suddenly  that  I  couldn't  find  the 
string,  and  then  I  nearly  dug  the  hook  into  his  head  as  well 
as  his  wig ;  and  as  for  the  phosphorus,  I  gave  him  a  dab 
with  it  upon  the  nose." 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha!" 

Every  thing  had  been  carefully  arranged  beforehand,  it  need 
hardly  be  said,  and  a  cord,  with  a  fish-hook  at  the  end  of  it, 
was  run  over  a  small  wheel  fixed  in  the  ceiling, 

Harry  held  the  other  end  of  the  cord,  and  as  soon  as  the 
darkness  and  confusion  came,  he  drove  the  hook  into  poor 
old  Mole's  wig,  while  he  rubbed  it  dexterously  with  phospho- 
rus, and  then  with  a  jerk  he  hauled  it  up  to  the  ceiling, 
where  he  set  it  dancing  about,  to  the  indescribable  horror  of 
Mole. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

WHEREIN  MR.  MOLE  IS  CRUELLY  USED — THE  GARDEN  FETE— 
SUNDAY  AND  MONDAY  GIVE  AN  ENTERTAINMENT — ANOTHER 
LOOK  INTO  THE  MAGIC  MIRROR — STUDIES  OF  NATURAL 
HISTORY AN  INVOLUNTARY  PERFORMER. 

WHEN  Isaac  Mole  had  time  to  reflect  coolly  upon  what  had 
occurred,  doubts  arose  in  his  mind. 

In  spite  of  the  seemingly  inexplicable  nature  of  the  phe- 
nomena which  he  had  witnessed,  he  felt  that  Harkaway,  father 
or  son,  must  know  something  of  it. 

Dick  Harvey,  he  was  morally  sure,  was  in  it. 

If  any  thing  fell,  Harkaway  would  start  up,  on  which  Harvey 
or  young  Jack  would  immediately  inquire  anxiously  if  he  were 
startled,  solely  for  the  purpose  of  leading  up  to  Mole's  words 
at  the  wizard's  house. 

"  Startled — nervous !     Never ;  iron  nerves,  sir — adamant ! " 

Upon  these  occasions,  Mr.  Mole  would  glide  away  from 
Harkaway's  room  without  a  word,  leaving  his  tormentors  to 
have  their  grin  out  all  to  themselves. 

All  they  could  do  they  could  not  make  him  drop  a  word  of 
allusion  to  the  events  just  narrated. 

On  that  topic  he  was  utterly  dumb. 
4 


82  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

Day  and  night  the  worthy  Isaac  Mole  brooded  over  one  sol- 
itary topic. 

Revenge. 

"  I'll  teach  'em,"  he  said ;  "  I'll  let  them  know  what  it  is 
to  play  practical  jokes  with  a  man  like  me." 

The  last  straw  breaks  the  camel's  back.  The  last  indig- 
nity on  his  wig  proved  too  much  for  Isaac  Mole,  for  he  had 
until  that  fatal  day  at  the  magician's,  been  fondly  hugging 
himself  in  the  delusion  that  the  secret  was  all  his  own. 

The  talk  was  tortured  and  twisted  about  so  as  to  make  it 
bear  upon  the  sorest  subject  for  the  poor  old  gentleman. 

"  Dash  my  wig,  Mr.  Mole !  "  Harvey  would  say  ;  "  let's 
take  a  short  country  excursion.  You  know  the  advantages 
of  change  of  hair." 

If  a  suggestion  were  wanting  for  the  dinner  of  the  day,  a 
voice  was  ready  to  advocate  "  jugged  hare." 

"  That's  very  well,"  said  Harkaway,  "  but  where  can  you 
get  one  in  these  parts  ?  " 

"  That's  it,"  chimed  in  Harvey  ;  "  as  Mrs.  Glasse  says, 
first  catch  your  fiair,  eh,  Mr.  Mole  ?  " 

Mole  winced. 

•"  It's  not  always  easy  to  catch  it,  is  it,  Mr.  Mole  ?"  said 
Harry  Girdwood,  slyly. 

"  Not  if  it  flies  too  high,"  said  young  Jack. 

This  chaff  goaded  poor  old  Mole  to  fury,  coming  as  it  did 
from  the  boys. 

"  Really,"  he  said,  with  a  lofty  sneer,  "  I  don't  see  what  you 
have  to  laugh  at  in  the  idle  nonsense  of  these  children." 

This  made  them  grin  more  than  ever. 

"  The  wit  of  the  rising  generation,"  sneered  Mole. 

"  Mr.  Mole  would  like  the  young  generation  never  to  rise, 
I  think,"  said  Harry  Girdwood. 

"  That's  it,"  laughed  Harkaway ;  "  Mr.  Mole  was  always 
so  conservative  in  his  ideas." 

"  Let  me  see,  dad,"  said  young  Jack,  looking  puzzled ; 
"  Conservative,  why,  that  means  a  Tory." 

"  Yes." 

"  But,  Mr.  Mole,  I  thought  that  you  always  were  a 
Whig." 

Such  a  storm  of  laughter  greeted  this  sally,  that  Mr.  Mole 
could  not  stand  up  against  it. 

Looking  daggers  at  every  body,  he  trudged  out  of  the  room, 
digging  his  walking  stick  fiercely  as  he  went. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  83 

Now  at  the  door,  who  should  he  meet  but  Sunday,  grin- 
ning  from  ear  to  ear  ? 

"  I'm  not  going  to  be  fooled  by  you,  you  infernal  black  pud 
ding,"  cried  Mole,  exasperated  beyond  measure. 

"  Yah,  yah,"  grinned  the  mirthful  Caesar  Augustus,  hold 
ing  his  sides. 

"  Take  that,"  cried  Mole. 

Sunday  did  take  it. 

It  was  not  a  pleasant  dose,  for  "  that,"  in  this  instance, 
meant  a  severe  crack  across  the  head  with  old  Mole's  walk, 
ing  stick. 

Sunday  rubbed  his  poll. 

Happily  the  thick  wool  with  which  it  was  garnished  saved 
the  skull  from  much  danger,  and  a  nigger's  head  is  proverb 
ially  tough. 

But  yet  Sunday  did  not  relish  the  indignity. 

"  You  dam  wooden-legged  ole  tief,"  he  shouted  out ;  "  I'll 
gib  it  to  yar  for  dis  hyar." 

And  so,  full  of  revengeful  thoughts,  the  darkey  sought  his 
friend  Monday. 

And  they  set  to  work  plotting,  with  what  result  the  next 

day  showed — much  to  the  old  gentleman's  disgust. 

*  *  *  *  *  # 

They  mustered  a  good  round  dinner-party  upon  the  follow- 
ing day. 

In  front  of  the  summer  house  was  an  object  which  excited 
Mr.  Mole's  curiosity  considerably. 

One  of  the  ladies  asked  what  it  was  there  for. 

"  I  don't  know  exactly  what  it  is,"  replied  Harkaway  ; 
"  something  of  Monday's,  I  think,  Dick." 

"  I  believe  so,"  replied  Harvey,  carelessly. 

"  They  are  going  to  give  us  an  entertainment  of  some  kind," 
said  young  Jack. 

The  cloth  having  been  cleared,  Monday  came  forward,  and 
bowing  gravely,  addressed  the  company. 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen " 

"  Hear,  hear ! "  from  Mole,  who,  thinking  himself  free 
from  attack,  determined  to  try  a  bit  of  chaff  upon  his  own 
account. 

"Thank  you,  sar,"  said  Monday,  bowing  gracefully  to 
Mole. 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen " 

"  Bravo,  bravo  !  "  shouted  Mole  ;  "  exceedingly  bravo." 


84  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

"  Folks  generally — sane  and  insane — "  here  he  bowed  in  a 
very  marked  manner  at  Mr.  Mole. 

"  Hear,  hear !  "  cried  Dick. 

"  My  entertainment  is  just  a-gwine  to  begin,  and  as  it  is 
of  a  scientific  natur  dat  asks  for  all  your  attention,  I  must  ax 
them  to  go  at  once  who  don't  wish  to  stay  and  see  it  all  through, 
so  as  not  to  interrupt  me." 

"  No  one  wishes  to  go." 

The  most  eager  person  to  remain  was  Mr.  Mole. 

Poor  old  Mole. 

Monday  went  on — 

"  The  first  that  I'se  gwine  to  show  you,  ladies  and  gentle- 
men, is  some  speciminks  of  what  is  known  as  the  occult  art, 
that  is,  the  black  art,  or  magic." 

Mole  winced. 

"  Go  on." 

"  Hear,  hear ! "  said  Dick. 

"  Bravo,  Monday,"  from  Jack  Harkaway. 

Mole  was  silent. 

He  had  not  another  "  bravo  "  in  him,  so  to  speak. 

Monday  bowed  in  acknowledgment  of  the  plaudits. 

"  In  the  first  place,  den,  ladies  and  gentlemen,"  he  went 
on  to  say,  "  I  mean  to  show  you  my  magic  mirror." 

Mole  glanced  nervously  at  Dick,  and  from  him  to  Jack 
Harkaway. 

But  both  looked  as  stolid  as  Dutchmen. 

Monday  drew  back  the  curtain  from  the  easel,  disclosing  a 
frame,  on  which  was  fitted  a  plain  black  board. 

"  In  this  frame,"  said  the  professor  of  the  black  art,  "  I 
can  show  you  any  persons  you  may  ask  for,  dat  is,  persons 
who  are  known  to  you." 

Mr.  Mole  had  heard  enough  to  convince  him  that  he  was 
in  danger  of  being  once  more  sacrificed  to  the  insatiable  pas- 
sion of  his  two  old  pupils  for  chaffing  and  practical  joking. 

"Well,  sar,"  said  Monday,  "just  you  try  um." 

"  We  will,"  said  Dick. 

"  Well,  then,  sar,  who  shall  be  the  first  person  I  must  bring 
before  you  ? " 

No  reply. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Mole,  name  somebody,"  said  Monday,  in  his 
most  insinuating  manner. 

Mole's  only  reply  was  a  dissenting  growl. 

"  No." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  85 

"  Will  you,  Mr.  Harkaway,  sar  ? "  he  said. 

"  Well,  I  will  if  you  like— suppose  that  we  call  upon  your 
friend,  Sunday  ? " 

"  Very  good,  sar." 

And  then  he  set  to  work. 

A  walking  stick  served  him  as  a  wand,  and  this  he  waved 
three  times  slowly  and  majestically,  while  he  repeated  in  sol- 
emn tones  this  singular  legend — 

"  Hokus-pokus,  popalorum, 
Stickstun,  stickstun,  cockalorum  jig." 

Thereupon  the  curtain  went  back,  and  lo !  Sunday  appeared 
sitting  upon  a  throne  of  state,  robed  in  a  long  crimson  man- 
tle, which  made  him  look  like  an  emperor. 

It  was  a  most  dignified  tableau,  or  it  would  have  been,  but 
for  the  long  clay  pipe  the  darkey  held  in  his  mouth  and  the 
pewter  pot  he  carried  in  his  hand. 

"Ladies  and  gemmen,"  said  Monday,  "dat  is  our  ole 
friend,  dressed  as  de  Empyroar  Charleymane." 

"  Bravo,  bravo  !  " 

Even  Mr.  Mole  laughed. 

The  curtain  closed  over  this  dignified  and  historical  repre- 
sentation. 

"  Now,"  said  Dick  Harvey,  "  let  us  see  some  of  our  live 
stock." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  young  Jack  ;  "  show  us  Nero." 

"  And  Mike." 

Monday  bowed. 

Then  back  went  the  curtain,  and  there  sat  Nero,  the  mon- 
key, on  the  throne  just  vacated  by  the  emperor  "  Charley- 
mane,"  and  at  his  feet  stood  the  bold  poodle  Mike  wagging 
his  tail. 

Nero  appeared  to  understand  what  was  required  of  him, 
and  he  sat  motionless  as  a  statue  for  a  while,  but  before  long 
the  peculiar  nervous  irritation  to  which  monkeys  appear  to  be 
subject  attacked  him,  and  he  began  a  series  of  spasmodic 
researches  in  natural  history  all  over  his  ribs. 

"  Nero's  making  up  for  lost  time,"  said  young  Jack  ;  "  look 
how  he  is  getting  to  work." 

Nero  was  indeed  scratching  away  furiously. 

"  There's  diligence,"  laughed  young  Jack  ;  "  now  he's 
busy." 


86  JA  CK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

And  then  he  broke  off  into  the  following  appropriate  snatch— 

"  He'll  catch  the  flee — he'll  catch  the  flee — 
He'll  catch  the  fleeting  hour." 

Down  went  the  curtain. 

There  was  a  general  laugh  at  this. 

"When  we  asked  you  to  show  us  the  live  stock,"  said  Dick 
Harvey,  "  you  took  us  too  literally,  Monday." 

"  Yah,  yah  !  " 

"  You  must  learn  to  draw  the  line  somewhere." 

Monday  here  rapped  the  ground  with  his  wand  to  secure 
attention. 

Silence  having  been  gained,  he  addressed  them  thus — 

"  Before  we  leave  dis  part  of  de  entertainment,"  he  said, 
"  I  conclude  de  exhibition  of  one  more  animal.  For  reasons 
dat  I  need  not  mention,  I  shall  leave  you  to  guess  at  de  name 
of  dis  animal.  It  is  a  small  animal  dat  lives  on  wums." 

"  Wums  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  What  are  they  ? " 

"  On  wums,  scriggley  wums  and  insects,  and  burrows  in  the 
earth." 

"  Why,  dear  me,"  said  young  Jack,  innocently,  "  that  must 
be  a  mole." 

Before  a  word  could  be  said,  back  went  the  curtain,  and 
Nero  was  discovered  walking  upon  a  pair  of  wooden  stilts. 

He  staggered  about  like  a  man  in  liquor,  and  made  every- 
one yell  again  at  the  quaint  manner  in  which  he  had  hit  off 
Mr.  Mole's  movements. 

"  Whatever  has  he  got  on  his  head  ? "  said  someone. 

Mole  shivered. 

He  guessed. 

Guessed ;  alas,  he  was  but  too  sure. 

Nero  put  all  his  doubts  at  rest  by  making  a  graceful  bow 
and  removing  his  wig  instead  of  a  hat. 

The  wig ! 

Yea ;  the  identical  wig  which  Mr.  Mole  had  left  behind 
him  in  his  precipitate  flight  from  the  conjuror's. 

This  was  too  much. 

Losing  his  dignity  completely,  Mr.  Mole  jumped  up  and 
burst  through  the  group  of  spectators,  dashing  out  of 
the  place  in  a  perfect  fury,  young  Jack's  voice  ringing  in  his 
ears  as  he  shouted — 

*  A.  wig >  a  wig !     My  kingdom  for  a  wig  !  " 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  87 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  BRIGANDS'  CAMP — A  MOUNTAIN  BIVOUAC — AN  ALARM — 
THE  SOLDIERS— A  CHALLENGE — THE  BRIGANDS' 
WIDOW — FATAL  NEWS. 

WE  change  the  scene. 

And  now  we  find  ourselves  in  a  mountain  pass,  where  a 
number  of  rough-looking  men  are  grouped  about  a  camp 
fire. 

A  short  distance  from  this  group  stands  a  tall  man,  lean- 
ing moodily  upon  the  muzzle  of  his  musket,  while  he  watches 
the  zig-zag  paths  up  the  mountain  side. 

Upon  this  man  one  can  see  the  whole  safety  of  the  party 
depends. 

He  is  on  sentry. 

A  prolonged  silence  was  suddenly  broken  by  the  sentinel 
looking  up  and  grasping  his  musket  nervously,  while  he  turned 
a  warning  gesture  to  the  camp. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  exclaimed  one  of  the  party,  jumping  up. 

"  Hush ! " 

The  sentry  turned  with  his  finger  on  his  lips,  and  motioned 
him  to  silence. 

At  a  sign  from  one  of  the  men — evidently  a  superior — the 
whole  party  sprang  to  their  feet. 

A  hurried  examination  of  their  musket-locks  and  arms 
generally  showed  that  they  expected  danger,  and  only  waited 
a  word  from  the  sentinel  to  be  "  up  and  doing." 

The  leader  stepped  up  to  the  sentry,  drawn  sword  in 
hand. 

"  What  is  it  ? " 

"The  patrol." 

"  Soldiers  ? " 

The  sentry  nodded. 

"  The  Carbonari  ? " 

•'  Yes." 

The  leader  grasped  his  sword  nervously,  and  made  a  step 
forward  as  though  he  would  have  dashed  through  the  ravine 
and  charge  the  military  alone  and  unaided. 

But  if  such  were  his  intentions,  he  speedily  altered  his 
mind. 


86  JA  CK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

"  Perish  them  ! "  he  muttered ;  "  and  curse  their  spy- 
ing ! " 

"We  could  pick  them  all  off  from  here,"  said  one  of  the 
men — a  huge,  burly  fellow,  who  had  climbed  up  to  a  project- 
ing rock  commanding  an  extensive  view.  "  All  down  to  the 
last  man." 

And  as  he  spoke,  he  brought  his  gun  up  to  his  shoulder 
with  an  ominous  gesture. 

"  Hold,  Toro  !  "  ejaculated  an  English  voice.  "  Your  hasty 
imprudence  will  spoil  us." 

"  Bah ! "  said  Toro,  replying  in  the  same  tongue. 
"  You  are  over  prudent,  Hunston.  Why  should  we  not 
destroy  them  while  they  are  in  our  power  ? " 

"  What  if  one  escapes  ? " 

"  One  should  not,"  retorted  the  Italian  savagely  ;  "  no,  nor 
half  a  one." 

"  And  where  is  the  good  if  we  succeeded,  as  you  say  ? " 

"  Good  !  "  reiterated  Toro,  passionately.  "  Are  they  not 
our  sworn  foes  ?  Are  they  not  here  in  pursuit  of  us  ?  Good  ! 
— why,  will  it  not  lessen  the  number  of  our  enemies  by 
their  number  at  least  ? " 

"  Yes,  perhaps,"  replied  Hunston.  "  And  if  successful,  it 
would  so  thoroughly  alarm  the  country,  that  it  would  cause  a 
whole  army  to  be  sent  after  us,  and  make  the  end  a  mere 
question  of  time.  Let  one  escape  to  tell  the  tale  and  it 
would  bring  them  down  to  this  spot,  our  safest  place  in  the 
mountains,  and  hitherto  undiscovered  by  our  enemies." 

Toro  grumbled. 

Yet  there  was  so  much  truth  in  what  Hunston  said  that  he 
could  urge  nothing  further  in  favour  of  violent  measures. 

The  sentry,  who  was  still  on  the  watch  at  the  fissure  in 
the  rocks,  here  turned  round  and  motioned  them  to  silence. 

"  Not  so  loud,"  he  exclaimed,  in  a  whisper ;  "  they  can 
hear  something ;  they  are  looking  our  way." 

"  Hah  ! " 

In  fact,  the  military  were  so  near,  that  they  could  be  heard 
plainly  enough  giving  their  words  of  command. 

"  Halt !     Ground  arms  !  " 

The  rattle  of  their  rifles  was  heard  distinctly. 

The  officer  then  could  be  seen  taking  observations  through 
a  short  telescope  which  he  carried  suspended  by  a  strap  to 
his  side. 

He  glanced  all  about  the  place  and  fixed  for  some  little 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE,  89 

time  upon  the  fissures  and  rocky  passes,  resting  longer 
below  the  very  one  at  which  the  sentry  was  posted  than 
elsewhere. 

But  although  it  would  seem  to  have  aroused  his  suspicions, 
it  was  evident  that  he  could  see  nothing,  for,  after  a  few 
minutes,  he  lowered  his  glass  and  shut  it  up. 

The  reason  of  this  was,  that  where  the  sentry  stood  was 
completely  shadowed  by  the  overhanging  rocks,  so  that  he 
was  invisible  to  them,  although  they  could  be  distinctly  seen 
by  the  sentry. 

The  scrutiny  appeared  to  satisfy  the  officer. 

"  Shoulder  arms  !     Left  wheel !     March  1 " 

The  measured  tramp  of  the  soldiers  was  distinctly  heard. 

Fainter  and  fainter  it  grew  until  it  died  away. 

The  sentry  watched  them  in  silence  for  several  minutes 
before  he  spoke. 

Presently  he  turned  round  to  his  comrades  and  nodded. 

"  Safe,"  he  said.  "  They  have  turned  by  the  cross  roads  ; 
the  last  man  is  out  of  sight." 

"  That's  prime,"  said  our  old  friend  Tpmaso.  "  Then  now 
to  dinner." 

The  sentry  was  not  lost  sight  of — indeed,  he  was  not  the 
man  to  allow  himself  to  be  forgotten,  for  before  the  meal  had 
been  long  in  progress  he  reminded  them  that  he  had  such  a 
thing  as  an  appetite  about  him  by  a  very  rough  address. 

"  Gluttons,"  he  said  to  the  party  generally,  "  do  you  think 
only  of  yourselves  ?  Am  I  to  mount  guard  for  ever  ? " 

They  only  laughed  at  this. 

"  Right,  Ymeniz,"  said  Toro  ;  "  turn  and  turn  about  is  but 
fair.  Matteo." 

"  Present,"  returned  one  of  the  men,  jumping  up  and  salut- 
ing with  a  stiff  military  action,  which  told  that  he  had  once 
served  in  the  army. 

"  Relieve  guard,  and  let  Ymeniz  take  your  place  here." 

Matteo  picked  up  his  musket  and  marched  up  to  the  rocky 
pass,  while  the  late  sentry  joined  the  feast. 

Now  while  the  guard  was  changed,  without  any  particular 
demonstration  of  reluctance  upon  the  part  of  the  new  sentry 
himself,  Tomaso  made  a  very  wry  face. 

"  Our  comrade  Toro  gives  his  commands  as  naturally  as 
though  he  were  our  leader." 

Toro  flushed  up  at  this. 

"  And  why  not  ?  "  he  said,  almost  fiercely. 


90  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  Why  not  ? "  echoed  Tomaso,  with  a  sneer.  "  Oh,  I  could 
give  several  reasons." 

"Give  them." 

"  Nay,  one  will  suffice." 

"  Well." 

*'  Our  only  chieftain  is  the  gallant  Mathias." 

"  And  he  is  in  prison." 

"  True  ;  but  that  doesn't  prove  you  to  be  our  leader  while 
poor  Mathias  is^in  the  hands  of  the  Philistines." 

"  Bah  !  "  repfied  Toro,  impatiently.  "  Someone  must  com- 
mand while  Mathias  is  away." 

"  Then  there  are  others  who  should  command  here  in  his 
ubsence  in  preference  to  those  who  are  new  comers." 

"  Who  are  they  ?  " 

"  You  haven't  far  to  look,"  returned  Tomaso,  drawing  him- 
self up  haughtily ;  "  myself,  for  instance." 

Toro  burst  into  a  loud  and  derisive  laugh. 

"  You  ? "  he  said,  contemptuously. 

"  Yes,  I." 

"  Why,  I  have  led  a  band  of  gallant  fellows  years  ago — 
a  band  of  thrice  our  strength ;  aye,  and  what  is  more,  I  have 
led  them  to  victory  again  and  again — to  victory  and  fortune. 

"  Your  lucky  star  has  not  been  in  the  ascendant  since 
you  have  deigned  to  honour  us  with  your  company,"  said 
Tomaso. 

The  covert  sneer  conveyed  in  this  speech  made  the  pep- 
pery Italian  fire  up. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?  "  he  demanded,  fiercely. 

"  I  mean  that  your  gallant  followers  must  have  missed  so 
distinguished  a  leader ;  pity  you  could  not  return  to  lead 
them  to  fresh  triumphs,  greatly  as  we  should  deplore  your 
loss." 

Toro  boiled  over  at  this. 

"  Do  you  want  to  fix  a  quarrel  on  me  ? "  he  asked,  in  a 
voice  of  suppressed  passion. 

"  No,"  replied  Tomaso,  insolently.  "  When  I  want  to 
quarrel,  I  go  straight  to  my  point  ;  I  don't  beat  about  the 
bush.  I  only  want  to  remind  you  of  your  proper  place  here 
so  fall  back,  Signor  Italiano,  and  learn  to  be  more  respect- 
iul  in  your  bearing." 

Stung  to  the  quick  by  this,  Toro  plucked  out  his  sword, 
and  would  have  rushed  upon  the  other,  had  not  several  of 
the  men  interposed. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  g, 

"  Come,  come,"  they  said,  "  none  of  that.  We  have  plen- 
ty of  enemies  ;  we  can  cut  their  throats,  not  our  own,  when 
we  want  to  spill  blood.  " 

"  Besides,"  said  an  old  man,  "  it  is  profitless  quarrelling 
about  the  leadership — we  have  a  leader.  Poor  Mathias  ! " 

"  Right,"  echoed  several  voices  together,  "right.  Sit 
down  ;  no  quarrelling." 

"  Here,"  exclaimed  an  old  brigand,  "let  us  drink  to 
Mathias." 

"And  his  speedy  return,"  added  another. 

"  Aye,  aye,  his  speedy  release." 

Horn  goblets  were  handed  round  and  filled  with  ruddy 
wine  from  a  skin,  which  the  old  brigand  himself  produced 
from  his  own  mysterious  larder. 

"  To  Mathias  !  " 

"  To  Mathias !  " 

A  ringing  cheer  was  heard,  and  the  goblets  were  drained 
to  the  very  dregs. 

****** 

"  Who  goes  there  ?  " 

"  A  friend.  " 

"  The  word." 

"  Mathias." 

"  Advance,  friend,  and  give  the  countersign." 

This  challenge  was  replied  to,  and  a  woman  appeared  at 
the  narrow  entrance  to  the  mountain  pass. 

Slowly  she  walked  through,  her  head  drooping  and  her 
eyes  fixed  upon  the  ground. 

They  recognised  her  now. 
.  It  was  the  wife  of  their  chieftain,  the  bold  Mathias. 

"  I  scarcely  knew  you,"  said    the   sentry,  apologetically. 

She  looked  up  and  smiled  in  a  strangely  vacant  manner. 

The  other  said  nothing. 

Her  manner  impressed  them  with  ugly  feelings. 

Instinctively  they  felt  that  some  fresh  calamity  had  hap- 
pened to  them. 

In  fear  and  trembling  they  anticipated  the  evil  tidings 
which  she  brought,  although,  of  course,  they  could  not 
guess  at  its  exact  nature. 

"  Did  you  succeed  !  "  demanded  the  old  man. 

She  nodded  gravely. 

"  You  saw  Mathias  ?  " 

44  Yes." 


92  JA CK  HARKA WAY  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

Her  answer  was  given  in  the  same  vacant  manner,  and 
staring  fixedly  into  the  very  midst  of  them,  she  appeared  to 
see  nothing. 

"Did  you  tell  our  brave  captain  how  eagerly  we  look  for- 
ward to  his  release — how  anxiously  we  long  for  the  moment 
when  he  shall  be  again  here  amongst  us — at  our  head  ?  " 

It  was  the  old  brigand  who  spoke. 

She  gave  him  a  strange  look,  from  which  they  could  gather 
absolutely  nothing,  and  her  eyes  dropped  again  to  the 
ground. 

The  heavy,  unpleasant  feeling  deepened. 

Scarcely  one  of  them  had  the  courage  to  address  her 
again. 

An  oppressive  silence  fell  upon  them  all. 

They  looked  at  each  other  in  silent,  awkward  expectation, 
all,  bold  desperadoes  as  they  were,  cowed  into  silence  by 
her  manner. 

"  You  succeeded  in  seeing  him  ?  "  said  Hunston. 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  quietly. 

"  And  you  bade  him  be  of  good  heart  ? — you  told  him  that 
we  were  making  a  plan  in  his  behalf — a  plan  which  could 
not  fail  of  success  ?  You  said " 

The  woman  looked  up. 

"  Nothing  ! " 

"  What  !  " 

"  Nothing,"  she  slowly  repeated,  "  nothing.  I  saw  him, 
but  it  was  too  late  to  speak  those  words  of  comfort." 

"  Too  late  ?  "  iterated  Hunston,  eagerly,  "  too  late  ? " 

"  Ah,  too  late  for  words  of  comfort,  for  menaces,  or  for 
any  thing." 

"  Surely  you  do  not  mean — 

He  could  not  complete  the  sentence,  but  she  helped  him 
out — 

"  I  do,"  she  said,  in  a  hollow  voice,  and  nodding  her 
head  gravely,  "  I  do  mean  that  he,  Mathias,  the  brigand 
chief  is  dead  !". 

The  brigands,  one  and  all,  leaped  to  their  feet,  snatching 
up  their  carbines,  while  from  their  throats  issued  a  deep  cry 
of  revenge. 

Dead  !  The  word  thrilled  them  one  and  all  with  horror. 

The  bold  Mathias  dead  ! 

Prepared  as  they  had  been  by  her  manner  for  some  dire 
Calamity,  it  came  upon  them  like  a  thunderclap. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


93 


The  awful  calm  manner  of  the  chieftain's  widow  im- 
pressed them  more  than  if  she  had  thrown  up  her  hands  in  wild 
despair  and  given  way  to  the  noisiest  demonstrations  of 
woe. 

After  some  few  minutes,  one  ventured  to  break  the  awe- 
some silence. 

"  How  did  he  die  ?  " 

The  brigand's  wife  turned  from  her  questioner  with  a 
shudder. 

"  Ask  me  nothing  yet.  I  am  not  able  to  speak  of  that  at 
present ;  give  me  time  to  conquer  this  weakness." 

"  If  I  ask,  it  is  that  I  may  seek  vengeance  upon  his  de- 
stroyer," said  Tomaso,  the  speaker. 

Her  eyes  sparkled,  and  the  colour  rushed  into  her  pale 
cheek  at  the  word.  "  Vengeance — aye,  vengeance.  Well 
spoken,  my  bold  Tomaso;  vengeance  is  something  to  live 
for,  after  all ;  vengeance  we'll  have  too.  We'll  glut  ourselves 
with  it ;  a  feast  of  vengeance  we'll  have."  "  We  will,  we 
will !  "  shouted  the  brigands,  as  though  with  one  single  voice. 

"  These  English  and  these  Americans  shall  die." 

"  They  shall !  " 

"  We'll  exterminate  them,  root  and  branch." 

"  Aye,  aye." 

"  Firstly,  these  Harkaways  shall  fall,  then " 

"  They  die." 

"  Does  Mathias  owe  his  death  to  Harkaway's  band  ? "  de- 
manded Hunston. 

"Was  not  this  Harkaway  the  prime  mover  in  all  our 
disasters  ? " 

"  Curse  him  !  " 

"  Aye,  curse  him  ! " 

To'o  here  stepped  forward  in  the  centre  of  the  circle 
which  the  brigands  had  formed. 

"  If  Harkaway  is  to  be  dealt  with,"  he  said,  "  I  will  under- 
take to  lead  you  to  triumph  within  three  days." 

Cheers  greeted  this  speech  until  Tomaso  stepped  forward. 

"  If  we  want  a  leader, "  said  he,  "  we  can  elect  one ;  we 
are  not  in  need  of  any  man  to  elect  himself. " 

"  Stand  back,"  said  Toro  angrily. 

"  Fall  back  yourself,"  retorted  Tomaso,  "  and  obey  your 
superior." 

"  My  superior  ?  Ha,  ha  !  He  does  not  live  here,"  ejac- 
ulated Toro  fiercely. 


94  JA  CK  HARKA  WA  Y  AA'D  HIS  SOWS 

The  old  brigand  here  once  more  stepped  between  the  dis- 
putants and  interfered. 

"  Why  quarrel  over  a  dead  man's  shoes  while  his  widow 
is  still  in  sight  ? " 

Tomaso  fell  back  at  the  rebuke,  but  Toro,  less  thin- 
skinned,  stuck  boldly  to  his  text. 

"  If  I  offer  to  lead  you  against  the  enemy,"  he  said,  "  it  is 
solely  for  our  interest  generally,  not  for  mine  alone." 

'  Oho ! " 

'  Aye,  and  I  can  prove  it" 

'  Do  so." 

•  I  will." 

'  Hear  him,"  said  Tomaso  derisively  :  "  hear  our  general 
benefactor  speak  up  for  us  all." 

Toro  turned  upon  the  speaker  savagely.  **•  I  can  speak 
to  you  presently,"  he  said  significantly,  tapping  his  sword 
hilt. 

"  You'll  find  me  ready  to  answer  you  in  any  way,"  re- 
torted Tomaso  boldly,  also  tapping  his  sword. 

"  I  doubt  not ;  meanwhile,  I  offer  myself  as  the  leader,  for 
several  reasons  :  firstly,  I  know  these  Harkaways  well,  and 
am  more  fit  to  cope  with  them  than  those  who  have  never 
met  them." 

Tomaso  laughed. 

"  I  doubt  that, "  he  said ;  "  why,  by  your  own  showing,  you 
have  never  gained  any  signal  successes  with  them." 

"  No,  but  I  start  where  you  would  have  to  begin ;  I  am 
armed  by  experience,  which  you  lack." 

"  True,  true,"  exclaimed  several  of  the  brigands. 

"  That  sounds  fairly  enough,"  replied  Tomaso,  "  but  you 
have  ever  met  with  such  signal  discomfiture  that  I,  for  one, 
should  have  small  confidence  in  your  leadership.  I  don't 
speak  to  uphold  myself ;  let  any  other  leader  be  chosen — let 
one  of  ourselves  to  wit,  not  an  Italian,  or  any  other  foreigner. 
Why  should  not  a  Greek  lead  Greeks  ? " 

"  Hurrah !  " 

A  general  cheer  greeted  this  speech.  "  Tomaso !  To- 
maso !  "  they  cried  ;  "  Tomaso  for  leader !  " 

Toro's  face  flushed  blood  red. 

"  Hearken  to  me, "  he  exclaimed,  in  a  voice  now  hoarse 
with  passion  ;  "  Mathias  was  a  great  leader,  and  I  felt  it  no 
shame  to  serve  under  him,  but  I  have  been  in  command  of  as 
bold  and  brave  a  band  as  this,  one  far  stronger  in  point  of 


ADVENTURES  /A'  GREECE. 


9S 


numbers,  and  if  I  am  not  elected  for  the  command  I  shall 
withdraw  altogether.  Have  me  or  not,  you  have  the  choice  ; 
only  this  is  my  determination  ;  I  will  accept  orders  from  no 
man  here." 

"  Go,  then,"  said  Tomaso ;  "  leave  us.  You  came  unhid* 
den,  and  you  may  depart  when  you  please." 

A  general  silence  succeeded  this  speech. 

Toro's  aid  was  not  to  be  despised. 

His  huge  body  and  his  muscular  arm  had  gained  him  the 
consideration  of  most  of  those  lawless  men,  who  literally 
revered  brute  strength. 

"  Wait,  wait,"  said  a  brigand,  stepping  forward.  "  Let  us 
not  be  too  hasty.  Some  are  for  Toro,  and  some  are  for 
Tomaso. " 

1  Well  ? " 

'  Say  on." 

'  Let  us  put  it  to  the  vote,  and  let  each  of  the  disputants 
pledge  himself  to  abide  by  the  decision." 

'  Good." 

'  What  says  Toro  ? " 

'  Agreed." 

'And  so  am  I,"  returned  Tomaso,  promptly. 

'  Hands  up,  then,  for  Toro." 

Half  the  hands  were  uplifted  and  counted  over. 

"  Now  for  Tomaso." 

Up  went  the  hands  of  the  other  side,  and  when  they  came 
to  tell  them  off.  it  was  discovered  that  the  brigands  were 
equally  divided  in  their  choice. 

M  We  cannot  have  two  leaders,"  said  the  brigand  Ymeniz. 

"  No,  no." 

"  Then  we  must  have  neither,  as  the  matter  stands." 

"  Unless  one  gives  way." 

"No,"  ejaculated  the  Italian,  fiercely,  "unless  Tomaso 
likes  to  decide  by  the  sword  which  of  us  shall  have  the  lead." 

"  I'm  agreed  to  that,"  retorted  Tomaso,  promptly.  "Let 
us  fight  for  it,  and  may  the  best  man  win." 

"  Agreed." 

"  Hurrah,  hurrah  !  " 

A  ring  was  formed,  and  preparations  made  for  the  deadly 
encounter. 

As  they  were  not  agreed  about  the  choice  of  weapons,  a 
coin  was  thrown  up,  and  Toro  won. 

Tomaso  would  have  chosen  pistols,  for  he  was  an  excellent 


96  JA  CK  HARK  A  WAY  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

shot,  and  it  gave  him  the  superiority ;  whereas,  although  not 
altogether  unskilled  in  fence,  Toro's  superior  weight  and  size 
gave  him  a  great  advantage  with  the  sword. 

However,  there  was  nothing  for  it  now  but  to  fight. 

The  combatants  stripped  to  the  waist,  and  each  received 
his  weapon  from  his  second. 

They  were  long,  heavy  swords,  cut  and  thrust,  like  the 
heavy  cavalry  carry,  and  with  these  there  could  be  but  one 
result. 

Death ! 

There  were  no  half  measures  with  these  weapons. 

"  Now,  then,"  exclaimed  the  Italian,  impatiently,  "  why 
this  dallying  ?  On  guard." 

"  I  am  ready,"  cried  Tomaso,  gripping  his  sword  firmly. 

The  swords  met  with  a  clash  which  sent  forth  a  shower 
of  sparks,  and  both  men  recoiled  with  the  force  of  the  shock. 

Recovering  themselves  quickly,  however,  they  went  to 
work  in  real  savage  style,  and  chopped  away  at  each  other 
with  vicious  earnestness. 

Now  Tomaso,  it  was  clear,  could  not  hold  his  own  in  a 
battle  wherein  mere  brute  force  was  to  have  the  best  of  it, 
and  feeling  himself  at  a  disadvantage  in  this  respect,  he 
dodged  about  his  adversary  as  nimbly  as  Harlequin  himself. 

Being  very  quick-sighted,  he  saw  what  sort  of  a  blow  was 
coming  ere  it  was  fairly  dealt,  and  so  he  shaped  his  defence. 

If  it  was  a  desperate  stroke,  he  jumped  out  of  its  reach. 

If  a  light  one,  he  turned  it  off  upon  the  edge  of  his  own 
weapon. 

In  this  way  he  worked  upon  Toro  to  such  an  extent  that 
the  Italian's  temper  got  the  mastery  of  him. 

Tomaso  was  attacking  him  so  closely  that  the  Italian  looked 
like  losing  the  battle. 

Toro  was  bleeding  from  a  dozen  small  flesh  wounds. 

Tomaso  was,  up  to  this  moment,  almost  unscathed. 

Presently  he  grew  over  bold,  and  incautiously  trusting 
himself  within  reach,  Toro  lunged  so  sharply  out  that  it  was 
only  by  the  merest  shave  he  escaped  being  spitted  on  the 
Italian's  long  sword  like  a  lark  on  a  skewer. 

As  it  was  the  sword  pierced  the  waistband  of  his  nether 
garments. 

Tomaso  stumbled,  and  so  nearly  lost  his  balance  that  it 
took  him  all  his  time  to  parry  the  next  stroke,  which  was  put 
in  with  equal  smartness  and  vigour. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  97 

One  blow,  that  might  have  brought  down  an  elephant,  sent 
Tomaso  on  to  his  knees. 

The  same  stroke  made  a  notch  in  the  Greek's  weapon  half 
an  inch  deep. 

Had  he  caught  the  blow  upon  the  flat  of  his  sword,  it 
would  have  been  shivered  to  atoms  beyond  all  doubt. 

Toro  saw  his  chance. 

Nor  was  he  at  all  slow  to  avail  himself  of  it. 

Quick  as  thought,  another  blow  fell,  and  out  of  his  grasp 
flew  the  Greek's  blade. 

He  lay  prostrate  at  the  mercy  of  his  adversary. 

"Beg  your  life,"  cried  Toro,  planting  his  heavy  foot  firmly 
upon  his  adversary's  chest. 

"  Never." 

"  Then  die  !  " 

He  raised  his  sword. 

But  he  paused. 

Was  it  the  action  of  a  brave  man  to  take  the  life  of  a 
defenceless  foe  ? 

Well,  it  was  not  the  thought  of  such  romantic  notions  which 
troubled  Toro  ;  it  was  simply  because  there  were  spectators. 

These  spectators,  he  knew,  would  judge  it  harshly. 

He  thirsted  for  Tomaso's  blood. 

Yet  he  dared  not  indulge  in  his  brutal  passion. 

Therefore,  making  a  virtue  of  the  necessity,  he  lowered  his 
sword,  and  spurning  his  beaten  adversary  with  his  foot,  bade 
him  rise. 

"  Then  take  your  life  unasked,"  he  said  coarsely,  "  and  in 
future  learn  to  know  and  to  respect  your  superiors." 

Toro's  speech  was  received  with  cheers  by  the  brigands. 
7 


98  JA  CK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SONS 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  NEW  CAPTAIN — HUNSTON'S  TROUBLE — THE  ARM  AND  ITS 
LEGEND — HOW  EMMERSON*S  VENGEANCE  WORKS  STEALTH- 
ILY ON. 

"  WHAT  do  you  say,  men,  now  ? "  demanded  the  huge  Italian, 
as  he  wiped  his  sword. 

"  Huzza  for  Toro ! " 

"  Have  I  fairly  earned  my  right  to  take  the  lead  here  ? " 

"Yes,  yes." 

"  I  want  you  to  be  unanimous,"  he  persisted. 

"We  are." 

Toro  fixed  his  eyes  upon  one  or  two  of  the  disappointed 
supporters  of  Tomaso,  who  had  not  uttered  a  word  since  the 
discomfiture  of  their  champion,  and  said  to  them  especially — 

"  If  any  of  you  object  to  me  as  a  leader,  let  them  come  for- 
ward now  and  speak  up." 

There  were  one  or  two  murmuring  voices. 

"  Look,"  cried  the  giant  Toro,  "  men  all,  if  any  here  still 
denies  my  power,  let  them  step  forward,  and  this  sword  shall 
prove  my  right." 

This  was  final. 

After  the  manner  in  which  Toro  had  just  dealt  with  their 
friend  Tomaso,  they  were  not  encouraged  to  provoke  a  quar- 
rel. And  so,  by  his  daring  audacity  and  brute  strength, 
Toro  the  Italian  raised  himself  to  the  leadership  of  the 
Greek  brigands. 

None  dared  to  dispute  his  sway  from  that  moment. 

Some  had  a  difficulty  to  swallow  the  bitter  pill,  but  the 
alternative  was  so  very  unpleasant  that  they  got  over  it. 

****** 

And  Harkaway's  enemy  Hunston  ? 

Why  has  he  fallen  so  into  the  background  of  late  ? 

His  sole  thoughts  have  been  engrossed  by  the  fearful  suf- 
ferings to  which  he  is  subject. 

That  dreadful  arm — the  legacy  of  vengeance  of  the  mur- 
dered Emmerson. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


99 


Where  the  evil  was  it  baffled  all  his  skill  to  discover. 

Slowly  yet  surely  this  horrible  piece  of  mechanism  was 
eating  away  its  wearer's  life. 

"It  seems  almost  as  though  some  subtle  poison  were 
slowly  injected  into  my  body  through  this  arm,  thought 
Hunston,  "  and  yet  I  can  not  work  without  it." 

Never  was  vengeance  more  terrible  than  that  of  the  dead 
Robert  Emmerson. 

The  wonder  was  that  Hunston  lived  through  it. 

His  constitution  must  have  been  of  iron. 

The  arm  was  removed,  but  only  with  infinite  trouble  and 
suffering  ;  and  then,  after  some  considerable  time,  Hunston 
began  to  experience  a  faint  sense  of  relief. 

The  sufferings  slowly  diminished. 

This  convinced  Hunston  that  he  had  been  correct  in  sup- 
posing that  the  poison  was  concealed  in  the  mechanical 
arm. 

He  laid  bare  as  much  of  it  as  he  could  without  permanently 
damaging  it,  and  pored  over  it  for  hours  at  a  stretch. 

To  what  good  ? 

None. 

Now  this  limb  was  the  work  of  no  common  artificer. 

It  was  the  work  of  a  hand  of  rare  cunning. 

A  master  spirit  had  invented  it,  and  its  mystery  was  far 
too  deep  to  be  penetrated  by  a  common  bungler. 

Hunston  was  at  last  so  tortured  that,  disguising  himself, 
he  one  day  left  the  mountains,  and  sought  the  advice  of  a 
surgeon. 

"The  man  who  planned  this  arm,"  said  the  surgeon  to 
whom  Hunston  submitted  it  for  examination,  "  must  have 
devoted  a  lifetime  to  the  manufacture  and  perfecting  of  this 
mechanical  limb." 

Hunston  smiled. 

He  knew  too  well  how  little  time  the  wretched  man  Em- 
merson gave  to  any  thing  like  industrial  pursuits. 

"  What  is  this  ? "  asked  this  same  surgeon,  pointing  to  the 
flat  of  the  arm,  where  the  engraved  legend  was  almost  ob- 
scured with  a  dark  stain. 

Hunston  changed  colour  and  fidgeted  about. 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  There  is  something  written." 

"  Yes,  yes,  so  I  believe,  but  it  is  obscured  by  that  staid—  * 


loo  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

He  peered  closer  into  the  arm  yet,  and  looked  serious,  as 
turning  to  Hunston,  he  said — 

"  Why,  it  is  a  blood-stain." 

"  No,  no  !  "  replied  Hunston,  hurriedly  ;  "  impossible.  It 
can  not  be." 

"  Impossible  or  not,"  said  the  surgeon,  "  blood  it  is,  and 
nothing  but  blood.  Yet  I  see  that,  in  spite  of  this  stain,  the 
reading  is  clear  enough." 

'  Scarcely,"  said  Hunston. 

'  It  is,  though,  and  it  is  in  English,  I  should  say,  too." 

'  Yes." 

'  Can't  you  read  it  ? " 

'No." 

'  Strange.     Yet  you  are  English." 

'  Yes." 

'  Well,  I  have  some  English  friends  here  to  whom  I  will 
show  it,  and " 

Hunston  broke  in  impatiently  at  this. 

"  English  here  ! "  he  exclaimed.     "  Where  do  they  live  ?  " 

"  At  the  villa ' 

"  What,  the  Harkaway  family,  do  you  mean  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  And  you  would  take  it  there  ?  " 

"  Why  not  ?  Mr.  Harkaway  is  a  clever  man.  He  is  sur- 
rounded also  by  clever  people  ;  there  is  a  curious  old  gentle- 
man there,  too,  an  old  gentleman  of  great  learning,  and  he 
might  be  enabled  to  throw  some  light  upon  the  secret,  which 
even  the  closest  scrutiny  can  not  penetrate." 

Hunston  listened  to  the  end,  but  not  without  having  to 
exercise  a  certain  amount  of  self-control. 

"  How  is  this  old  gentleman  called — this  clever,  learned  old 
gentleman  ? " 

"  You  seem  to  say  that  with  a  sneer,  sir,"  said  the  sur- 
geon ;  "  but  you  may  rely  upon  it  he  is  a  very  great  savant — 
a  man  of  great  accomplishments — and  a  warrior  who  has " 

'  Who  has  lost  two  legs  !  " 

'  Yes.     You  know  him  ?  " 

'  Slightly ;  his  name  is  Mole." 

'  It  is." ' 

1  And  you  would  take  my  arm  to  these  people  for  them  to 
stare  and  gape  at.  No,  sir ;  I  am  foolish  enough  to  seek  to 
conceal  my  affliction  from  the  world,  and  by  the  aid  of 
this  wonderful  arm  I  have  been  hitherto  successful." 


A  D  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  i  o  I 

The  doctor  bowed. 

"  So  I  beg  you  will  keep  my  secret." 

"  Rely  upon  it." 

Hunston  showed  all  his  old  cunning  in  this  speech.  Yet 
all  his  inquiries,  all  his  researches,  availed  him  nothing. 

The  work  of  the  dead  Robert  Emmerson  remained  as  be- 
fore, an  inscrutable  mystery.  It  remained  the  silent  executor 
of  its  creator's  vengeance. 

Slowly,  yet  surely  fulfilling  the  blood-stained  legend  on 
the  steel  arm. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

HUNSTON  AGAIN  AT  WORK — THE  DANCING  GARDEN — MARI- 
ETTA AND  HER  GOSSIP — GREAT  NEWS — THE  ARREST — WHAT 
CHARGE  ? — MURDER. 

HUNSTON'S  infirmity  had  told  in  many  ways. 

He  had  sunk  to  be  a  mere  nonentity  in  the  band. 

Now  he  was  but  too  pleased  to  be  left  at  peace  when  in 
his  great  suffering  ;  yet  no  sooner  did  he  recover  health  and 
spirits  a  little  than  his  old  interest  revived,  and  with  his  in- 
terest all  the  old  jealousies. 

He  bitterly  resented  Toro's  assumption  of  the  command. 

"  Let  the  blustering  bully  fool  impose  upon  them  if  he 
will,"  he  said  to  himself  again  and  again ;  "  he  never  could  take 
me  in.  It  shall  be  my  task  to  show  them  who  can  render  the 
most  real  service  to  the  band." 

Their  programme  suited  Hunston  well. 

What  could  better  have  accorded  with  his  humour  than 
the  devotion  of  all  their  time,  thought,  and  energies  to  the 
persecution — perhaps  to  the  entire  destruction,  of  the  Hark- 
away  family  ? 

It  was  all  gone  on  with  avowedly  to  avenge  the  death  of 
Mathias. 

Little  cared  Hunston  about  the  dead  brigand  chief. 

Indeed,  but  for  the  presence  of  his  widow  in  their  midst, 
and  the  occasional  mention  of  his  name,  Hunston  would,  in 
all  probability,  have  forgotten  that  he  had  ever  existed. 

As  it  was,  he  made  it  his  especial  task  to  hang  about  the 
parts  of  the  town  where  the  Harkaways  were  most  likely  to 
be  met. 


102  JACK  HA RK'A  WA  Y  A ND  HIS  SON 'S 

And  never  did  he  appear  twice  in  the  same  dress. 

One  evening,  strolling  into  a  dancing  garden,  he  chanced 
to  come  upon  a  smart  young  lady,  whose  appearance  at- 
tracted his  attention  at  once. 

"  I  know  her  well,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  though  where  I 
have  seen  her  is  a  puzzle  to  me  for  a  moment." 

The  merry  antics  of  one  of  the  dancers  caused  her  to 
laugh,  and  then  he  recognised  the  sound  of  her  voice  imme- 
diately. 

"  Marietta ! " 

Surely  he  should  not  so  soon  have  forgotten  her. 

Was  it  not  upon  the  occasion  of  her  memorable  exploits  at 
the  gardens  of  the  Contessa  Maraviglia  that  he  had  last  seen 
her — that  night  when  poor  Magog  Brand  met  his  fate  ? 

As  soon  as  he  recognised  her,  he  made  up  his  mind  to  es- 
cort her. 

So  first  (to  assure  himself  of  the  excellence  of  his  disguise) 
catching  a  cursory  glance  of  his  shadow  in  a  mirror,  he 
crossed  the  garden,  and  stepping  up  to  her  side,  he  addressed 
her. 

"  Do  you  not  join  the  dance,  signorina  ?  "  he  said. 

The  waiting  maid  in  reply  only  cocked  her  chin  haughtily 
and  moved  away. 

"  You  are  proud,  Marietta,  to-night,"  said  Hunston. 

She  turned  upon  hearing  her  name  mentioned. 

"  I  do  not  know  you,  sir." 

"  But  you  see  I  know  you,  Marietta,  and  what  is  more,  if 
you  were  to  ask  your  master  Mr.  Harkaway  or  Mrs.  Hark- 
away  about  their  friend  Saville,  I  dare  say  they  would  not  say 
any  thing  very  bad  about  him." 

Marietta  curtseyed  in  some  confusion. 

"  I  don't  remember  seeing  you  at  the  villa,  signer,"  she 
said,  "  so  pray  excuse  me." 

"  No  excuses,  pretty  Marietta  ;  I  am  not  a  very  constant 
visitor,  yet  I  have  seen  you,  and  yours  is  a  face  once  seen  not 
easily  forgotten." 

Marietta,  like  a  true  daughter  of  Eve,  did  not  object  to  this 
sort  of  thing. 

And  so  she  fell  into  the  trap  which  he  set  for  her  with  so 
little  pains. 

That  is,  she  grew  gossipy  and  communicative. 

"  And  does  Master  Jack  come  here  sometimes  ? "  asked 
the  sham  Mr.  Saville. 


AD  VEN  TURES  IN  GREECE,  1 03 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  Never." 

"  Mamma  would  object,  of  course,"  he  said  lightly ;  "  this 
is  such  a  wicked  plac,e  for  her  good,  mild,  innocent  boy  to 
come  to." 

Marietta  laughed  a  good  deal  at  hearing  young  Jack  spoken 
of  thus. 

"  Neither  of  the  young  gentlemen  are  too  innocent,"  she 
said  ;  "  but  yet  they  don't  come  here." 

"  Possibly  they  have  no  taste  for  this  sort  of  thing,"  sug- 
gested Hunston. 

Marietta  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"They  are  forbidden  to  go  about  alone." 

"  Why  ? " 

"  I  don't  know — some  fancy  of  the  ladies.  They  think 
that  the  brigands  are  always  lurking  about,  ready  to  drop 
upon  their  boys." 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha !  "  laughed  Hunston  ;  "  a  very  good  joke." 

"  Is  it  not  ?  Although  I  must  tell  you  that  there  is  some 
reason  for  fear,  for  I  have  twice  come  across  the " 

"  Across  who  ?  " 

"  The  brigands." 

"  Impossible." 

"  It  is  true." 

"  The  miscreants.     Did  they  steal  any  thing  ? " 

"  Well,  only  a  few — a  few  kisses." 

"  Hum  !  "  said  Hunston,  "  that  was  excusable.  It  is  a  sort 
of  pilfering  which  I  would  willingly  indulge  in  myself." 

"  I  dare  say,"  answered  Marietta  saucily,  "  but  I  have  dis- 
covered how  to  use  my  weapons  in  self-defence." 

"  What  weapons  ? " 

"These." 

She  held  up  her  ten  pretty  little  claws.  A  tiny  hand  they 
were  mounted  on,  too. 

Hunston  surveyed  it  with  the  eye  of  a  connoisseur,  and 
looked  the  admiration  he  wished  to  convey  quite  extravagantly 
enough  for  a  vain  woman  to  understand  his  meaning. 

"  Exquisite,"  he  said.  "  It  would  be  flattery  even  to  be 
scratched  by  such  models." 

She  laughed. 

He  resumed. 

"  And  so  they  never  go  forth  for  fear  of  the  brigands  ? " 

"  Never." 


1 04  JA  CK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SONS 

"Their  lives  must  be  wretched,  so  confined  to  the  house.* 

"  Aye,  but  they  go  out  to  sea." 

"To  sea?" 

"  Yes,  in  their  sailing  boat ;  the  two  boys  are  always  out 
fishing,  sailing,  and  what  not." 

Hunston  pricked  up  his  ears  at  these  tidings. 

"  Yes,  on  the  water  they  are  allowed  full  liberty,  for  brigands 
and  cats,  according  to  Signor  Harvey,  are  the  two  animals 
that  fear  the  water  most." 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  "  laughed  Hunston,  "  very  good  indeed,  but 
I  never  knew  that  brigands  so  feared  the  water." 

"So  Signor  Harvey  says,"  replied  Marietta.  "Indeed he 
says  that  a  bar  of  soap  and  a  bowl  of  water  would  frighten  a 
brigand  more  than  a  whole  armoury  of  firearms. " 

This  was  true. 

Brigands  may  look  picturesque  when  seen  from  a  distance. 

At  close  quarters  they  are,  to  put  it  mildly,  objectionable. 

If  they  do  not  hold  soap  and  water  in  absolute  fear,  as 
Dick  Harvey  said,  they  at  least  look  upon  them  as  vanities 
and  effeminacies  unworthy  of  desperadoes. 


"  So,  so,"  muttered  Hunston,  as  he  walked  away,  "  I  shall 
secure  them  yet.  For  through  the  boys  I  can  get  at  the 
father  and  at  Harvey.  Hah  !  " 

At  this  precise  moment  a  heavy  hand  was  placed  upon  his 
shoulder. 

There  was  a  professional  touch  in  it,  which  once  felt  could 
never  be  forgotten. 

Hunston  had  felt  such  a  clutch  once  in  England,  and  the 
recollection  was  likely  to  last  him  as  long  as  he  lived. 

He  forgot  where  he  was,  every  thing,  and  instinctively  he 
faltered  this  inquiry — 

"  On  what  charge  ?  " 

"  Murder ! " 

He  knew  the  voice. 

He  had  no  need  to  look  round  ;  the  voice  was  not  one 
easily  forgotten. 

It  was  our  old  friend  Pike,  the  English  detective. 

"  Yes,  Hunston,"  replied  the  officer  coolly.  "  You  have 
been  giving  me  a  lot  of  trouble,  but  it  was  only  a  question  of 
time  and  patience,  I  knew.  Come  along ;  you  are  my  pris- 
oner. '' 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  105 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  GREAT  DANGER — OFF    AND  AWAY  1 — POOR  PIKE. 

HUNSTON  quailed.     He  was  lost. 

So  suddenly — so  unexpectedly  had  this  come,  that  he  was 
utterly  powerless  to  help  himself. 

Had  he  been  wearing  the  mechanical  arm,  he  might  have 
able  to  tackle  the  wiry  officer  Pike. 

Bitterly  did  he  curse  his  unlucky  fate. 

Recovering  himself,  however,  in  some  slight  degree,  he- 
endeavoured  to  shake  off  the  detective's  hold. 

"Quiet,  now,  quiet,  Master  Hunston,"  said  Pike,  "or  I 
shall  have  to  try  means  for  tranquilising  you  which  you  won't 
find  agree  with  you." 

"  Show  me  your  warrant  for  this  outrage,"  said  Hunston. 

"  Outrage  !     Hoity,  toity !  that's  a  good  word." 

"  I  shall  call  the  police  to  my  assistance  if  you  attempt  to 
molest  me,"  said  Hunston,  putting  on  a  lofty  air. 

This  tickled  Pike  mightily. 

"  Call  the  police,  will  you  ?  "  he  said.  "  Well,  I  shan't,  for 
I  flatter  myself  that  I  don't  want  much  assistance  to  walk  off 
with  such  a  man  as  you — even  if  you  were  not  lopsided." 

Hunston  turned  savagely  upon  the  detective  at  this  allusion 
to  his  crippled  state  and  made  an  attempt  at  using  his  one 
arm  upon  him. 

But  Pike  was — to  put  it  vulgarly — all  there. 

He  dexterously  dodged  the  blow,  and  whirling  round  se- 
cured a  hold  upon  Hunston's  collar — that  peculiar  grip  which 
is  the  specialty  of  men  who  have  been  in  the  force. 

Hunston  struggled  desperately  to  get  free.     In  vain. 

Do  what  he  would,  he  found  himself  being  trotted  along 
to  save  himself  from  strangulation. 

Not  only  was  it  physically  painful. 

Hunston  had  an  overweening  sense  of  his  own  importance 
and  dignity,  and  this  being  run  in  just  like  some  paltry  pick- 
pocket in  a  crowd,  was  galling  to  his  vanity  beyond  all 
description. 

What  could  he  do  ? 

He  was  powerless.  _..,.»  , 


1 06  JA  CK  HARK  A  W 'AY  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

The  wondering  people  stared  at  this  singular  exhibiti<*i, 
but  they  parted  their  ranks  as  Pike  and  his  prisoner  came 
along,  and  never  offered  to  interfere. 

Now,  during  this  brief  but  painful  business,  Hunston's 
thoughts  ran  right  ahead  of  the  present  dilemma. 

He  endeavoured  to  realise  some  of  the  possible  conse- 
quences of  it. 

The  arrest  was,  he  felt  assured,  illegal. 

What  then  ? 

What  could  result  from  such  a  proceeding  ? 

Would  they  detain  him  ? 

Could  they  ? — that  was  the  question. 

The  British  ambassador  might  be  influenced  by  people  of 
the  rank  and  position  of  the  Harkaways. 

This  granted,  it  was  easy  enough  for  his  excellency  to  waive 
legal  forms  and  ceremonies  there,  and  gel  Hunston  trans- 
ferred to  the  safe  keeping  of  the  English  authorities. 

At  this  point  Hunston  could  not  repress  a  shudder. 

And  why  ?     He  thought  of  what  must  necessarily  follow. 

His  fevered  fancy  flew  ahead,  and  he  saw  himself  in  the 
dock,  faced  by  the  stony-faced  judge,  and  put  through  the 
torture  of  cross-examination  which  laid  bare  the  innermost 
recesses  of  his  black  heart  in  spite  of  himself. 

He  saw  further  on  yet. 

He  shut  his  eyes  as  he  went  on  and  heard  the  tramp  of  the 
twelve  jurors  re-entering  the  court  in  the  midst  of  a  profound 
and  awesome  silence. 

He  heard  the  solemn  formula ;  he  heard  the  hollow  voice 
of  the  foreman  give  the  verdict — 

"  Guilty !  " 

All  that  he  heard  and  saw  in  his  mind's  eye,  in  that  brief  but 
unpleasant  hustling  he  had  to  go  through  at  the  hands  of  the 
ungenerous  and  indefatigable  officer  Daniel  Pike. 

And  Hunston  now,  being  half  cowed  by  his  captor,  was 
being  driven  through  the  streets  like  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter, 
when  a  sudden  and  startling  incident  changed  the  whole  spirit 
of  the  scene,  even  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye. 

A  musket,  grasped  in  a  strong  hand  by  the  barrel,  was 
swung  over  their  heads,  and  down  it  came  with  an  awful 
crack  upon  poor  Pike's  head. 

Down  he  dropped  like  a  bullock  under  the  butcher's  pole- 
axe. 

And  Hunston  was  free. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  IO^ 

For  a  few  seconds  he  could  not  realise  his  release,  so  sud- 
den and  unexpected  it  had  been. 

"  Come  along,"  said  a  voice  in  his  ear ;  "  away  with  you, 
or  we  shall  get  into  trouble  here. " 

This  aroused  him. 

He  recognised  the  voice  of  Tomaso  the  brigand,  and  it 
brought  him  to  his  presence  of  mind. 

Off  he  started  at  a  good  brisk  run  in  the  direction  that  his. 
preserver  had  taken. 

And  soon  was  out  of  danger. 

But  Tomaso  was  not  so  fortunate. 

Following  Hunston  at  a  more  leisurely  pace,  he  had  not 
gone  many  yards,  when  a  firm  grip  was  placed  upon  his 
shoulder. 

"  Halt !  "  said  a  voice. 

The  brigand  turned  hastily,  and  found  himself  in  the  firm 
clutch  of  the  detective. 

"  I  have  caught  you  at  last,  villain  !  "  exclaimed  Pike  the 
detective,  as  he  twisted  his  hand  into  the  collar  of  the  gar- 
ment Tomaso  wore  instead  of  a  shirt. 

Then,  before  the  astonished  brigand  had  time  either  to  re- 
monstrate or  resist,  the  Englishman  exhibited  to  him  that  par- 
ticular form  of  wrestling  known  as  the  "cross  buttock,"  and 
stretched  him  at  full  length  on  the  ground. 

Another  moment  and  a  pair  of  real  Bow  Street  handcuffs 
snapped  on  Tomaso's  wrists. 

"  Neatly  done ;  don't  you  think  so  ?  "  said  Pike. 

Tomaso's  answer  was  a  tremendous  Greek  oath. 

"  You're  swearing,  I  believe.  Now  that  is  a  bad  habit  at 
all  times,  and  very  foolish  just  now,  because  you  see  it  don't 
hurt  me,  inasmuch  as  I  don't  understand  it,"  said  Pike,  who, 
after  a  brief,  stern  survey  of  his  captive,  added — 

"  If  you  cursed  me  in  English,  though,  I  don't  know  but 
what  I  might  be  tempted  to  punch  your  ugly  head." 

Tomaso  remained  silent,  and  Pike,  after  pausing  some 
seconds,  helped  him  to  his  feet. 

"  Now  you  are  all  right,  and  will  come  back  quietly  with 
me.  But  how  do  the  bracelets  fit?  I've  got  another  pair  in 
my  pocket. " 

"  You  had  better  release  me,"  observed  Tomaso. 

"  Now  that  is  very  ridiculous,  my  friend.  Why  should  I 
take  the  trouble  of  capturing  you,  if  I  let  you  run  again 
directly  ?  " 


Io8  JA  CK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOWS 

"It  will  be  much  to  your  disadvantage  to  imprison  me, 
Signor  Englishman.  An  injured  Greek  is  always  avenged  in 
some  way." 

"  Just  so ;  however,  I'll  risk  that." 

Pike's  coolness  added  to  the  rage  of  the  brigand,  whose 
passion  fairly  boiled  over. 

"  May  all  the  infernal  gods  my  forefathers  worshipped — • 
may  the  fiend  I " 

"Serve,"  suggested  Pike. 

"  The  fiend  I  would  willingly  serve,  or  sell  my  soul  to,  for 
vengeance,  visit  you  with  his  direst  displeasure,  and  may  all 
the  plagues  of  Egypt  blight  you  !  " 

"  Thank  ye,  that's  a  very  pleasant  speech  ;  something  like 
what  I  used  to  hear  at  the  theatre.  But,  old  friend,  you  made 
one  little  blunder." 

"  You  will  see  if  I  have  blundered." 

"  One  little  blunder,  when  you  spoke  of  selling  your  soul. 
Lor'  bless  you,  Old  Scratch  isn't  such  a  fool  as  to  buy  now- 
adays, whatever  he  may  have  done  years  ago." 

Another  angry  exclamation  from  Tomaso. 

"  You  see,  the  old  gentleman  has  gained  some  experience 
as  a  trader,  and  he  knows  well  enongh  that  if  he  waits  a  little 
lime,  he'll  get  you  all  free-gratis  for  nothing  at  all." 

"You  are  a  devil,  Englishman." 

"And  you  are  not  exactly  an  angel.  However,  if  I  am  a 
devil,  you  may  consider  you  are  regularly  sold  to  me.  So  now 
come  along  ;  keep  your  hands  under  your  cloak,  and  no  one 
will  notice  the  little  decorations  on  your  wrists." 

"  You  are  a  devil,  Signor  Englishman ;  but  you  will  die  for 
this." 

"  Pshaw !  I've  collared  scores  of  desperate  villains,  and 
they  all  said  something  of  the  same  kind,  yet  here  I  am." 

"  You  will  die,"  repeated  Tomaso. 

"  Some  day,  of  course  ;  but  we  have  a  proverb  in  England ; 
would  you  like  to  hear  it  ? " 

Tomaso  tossed  his  head  with  lofty  indifference. 

"  The  proverb,"  continued  Pike,  "  is  that  '  Threatened 
men  live  long.' " 

He  then  took  Tomaso  by  the  arm,  and  led  him  on. 

"  But  stop,"  said  he,  "  those  pistols  in  your  girdle  are  very 
heavy.  I'll  carry  them  for  you,  and  the  knife  as  well." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


109 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE   DECOY — A  THROW  OF  THE  DICE — THE   EXECUTION. 

BEFORE  Pike  and  his  captive  had  gone  far  on  their  re- 
turn  journey,  Harkaway  and  Harvey,  with  two  or  three  of  the 
gendarmes,  and  a  minute  after  Jefferson,  came  up. 

"  You  have  caught  him  then.  Hurrah  !  "  said  Dick  Har- 
vey. 

"  But  this  is  not  Hunston,"  said  Harkaway. 

"  No,  sir  ;  he  managed  to  get  clean  away.  But  we'll  have 
him  yet." 

An  old  goatherd,  who  had  scrambled  down  near  to  the 
place  where  the  captor  and  prisoner  stood,  might  have  been 
seen  to  indulge  in  a  contemptuous  smile. 

We  say  might,,  because  the  fact  is  that  all  were  so  much 
elated  at  the  capture  of  Tomaso  that  the  very  presence  of  the 
old  stranger  had  hitherto  remained  unnoticed. 

Nor  did  he  seem  to  court  attention,  but  remained  behind 
a  bush,  in  a  spot,  however,  where  he  could  hear  all  that 
passed. 

"  Well,  we  must  take  this  fellow  back  to  the  town,  and 
hand  him  over  to  the  authorities,"  said  Harvey. 

"  And  then  hunt  down  Master  Hunston,"  remarked  old 
Jack.  "  I  wish  we  knew  where  to  look  for  him." 

"  He  took  this  direction,"  remarked  Pike. 

"  True." 

"  And,  therefore,  it  is  in  this  direction  that  we  must  look 
for  him." 

"  Right  again,"  remarked  Dick  Harvey. 

"  But  as  he  is  associated  with  some  desperate  fellows,  it 
would  be  as  well  to  place  this  gentleman  in  the  hands  of  the 
authorities  before  we  seek  him.  It  is  not  good  to  go  into 
action  with  prisoners  on  our  hands." 

As  all  agreed  on  this  point,  they  walked  back  with  the 
prisoner,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  him  put  into  a  cell 
from  which,  apparently,  there  was  no  way  of  escape,  even 
the  fire-place  having  been  bricked  up  since  the  attempt  of 
Mathias  to  gain  freedom  that  way. 


110  JACK  HARK  A  WAY  AND  HIS  SON'S 

By  the  time  that  was  done  it  was  too  late  to  think  of  start- 
ing that  day,  so  our  friends  retired  to  hold  a  council  of  war. 

Pike,  however,  took  no  part  in  the  consultation. 

That  astute  detective  had  formed  in  his  own  mind  a  reso- 
lution that,  if  it  were  possible,  he  would  capture  Hunston 
single-handed,  thus  covering  himself  with  glory,  and  at  the 
same  time  keeping  the  Harkaways  and  Harvey  out  of 
danger. 

Pike  knew  that  it  was  a  difficult  thing  to  keep  them  out  of 
danger,  and  that  if  they  heard  any  thing  about  the  brigands, 
they  would  be  the  very  ones  to  lead  an  attack. 

Pike  walked  up  and  down,  smoking  and  reflecting  on  the 
difficulties  which  surrounded  his  task. 

He  had  not  thoroughly  matured  his  plans  when  the  sun 
went  down  and  the  moon  rose. 

Few  people  were  abroad. 

The  audacity  the  brigands  had  recently  displayed  had  con- 
vinced most  people  that  they  were  safer  indoors  than  out. 

As  Pike  walked  up  and  down  the  quiet  street,  he  noticed 
an  old  man  crouched  up  in  a  corner,  wrapped  in  a  tattered 
cloak,  and  apparently  intending  to  pass  the  night  there. 

"  Hilloa,  my  friend,  what  are  you  ?  Are  you  one  of  the 
brigands?" 

Pike  uttered  the  words  in  a  jocular  manner,  but  the  old 
man  felt  deeply  offended. 

"  Sir  Englishman,  you  insult  me." 

"  I  apologise.     I  had  no  intention  of  doing  so." 

"  A  brigand  !  Signer,  I  am  here — houseless  and  penniless 
in  my  old  age  through  those  accursed  villains !  May  Sathanas 
fly  away  with  their  souls." 

"  Well,  old  man,  perchance  you  will  be  avenged  before 
long." 

"  It  is  what  I  pray  for.  They  burnt  my  hut,  cut  down  my 
two  fine  olive  trees,  and  drove  off  my  little  flock  of  goats." 

The  old  man  covered  his  face,  and  appeared  to  sob  violently. 

"  When  was  this  ?  "  asked  Pike. 

"  Scarce  three  hours  since." 

"  Was  there  with  them  a  foreigner — one  of  my  country  ? " 

"  I  know  not  what  country  they  were  of,  but  besides  the 
Greeks,  there  were  two  men  who  seemed  leaders  ;  one  was 
called  Signer  Toro,  the  other  was  named  Hunston." 

"  How  many  were  there  in  all  ?  " 

"  Three  Greeks  besides  the  two  foreigners." 


AD  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  1 1  j 

"  Do  you  know  any  thing  of  the  haunts  of  these  brigands, 
friend  goatherd  ? " 

"  Aye,  well.  But  till  now  I  have  never  dreamt  of  betray- 
ing them,  for  they  never  before  molested  me." 

"  Lead  me  to  their  den." 

"  You,  signer  ?     Why,  they  are  at  least  five  in  number,  and 

you  are  but " 

"  But  an  Englishman  !  that  makes  all  the  difference,  friend 
goatherd,  so  pray  lead  on.  Here,  take  a  drink  from  my  flask 
first." 

The  old  man  accepted  the  proffered  drink,  and  then 
said — 

"  Well,  signor,  it  is  a  desperate  and  dangerous  undertak- 
ing ;  but  I  know  you  English  can  do  almost  any  thing,  so  I 
will  show  you  the  way.  And  if  it  comes  to  a  fight,  I  shall  be 
at  your  elbow,  signor." 

"  True." 

Without  mentioning  his  intentions,  or  saying  a  word  to  any 
of  his  friends,  the  detective  passed  his  arm  through  that  of 
the  goatherd  and  walked  away. 

Little  conversation  passed. 

The  detective  was  full  of  hopeful  anxiety  about  the  capture 
of  Hunston  ;  and  as  for  the  goatherd,  it  may  be  presumed 
that  the  loss  of  his  goats  afforded  him  plenty  of  food  for  si- 
lent reflection. 

They  passed  the  place  where  Tomaso  was  captured,  and 
then  turned  aside  out  of  the  road  into  a  dense  wood  which 
covered  the  side  of  a  rocky  hill. 

It  appeared  as  though  the  old  goatherd  was  "  out  of  condi- 
tion," as  the  athletes  say ;  at  all  events,  the  scramble  up  the 
rough  path  brought  on  a  loud  and  distressing  cough. 

"  Be  quiet,"  said  Pike ;  "  you  will  alarm  them." 

"  No  fear  of  that,  signor ;  we  are  more  than  a  mile  from 
the  den  of  the  villains." 

So  they  scrambled  and  climbed  away,  till  at  length  they 
reached  a  place  where  Pike  found  it  necessary  to  use  hands 
as  well  as  feet  to  make  progress. 

He  had  just  put  up  both  hands  to  grasp  a  boulder  over 
which  it  was  necessary  to  climb,  when,  to  his  intense  astonish- 
ment, each  wrist  was  grasped  by  a  couple  of  strong  hands, 
and  in  another  moment  he  was  forcibly  dragged  up. 

"  The  tables  are  turned  now,  Mr.  Pike,"  said  a  voice. 
"  You  will  remain  our  prisoner  till  Tomaso  is  released." 


!  !  2  JA  CK  PI  ARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

It  was  so  dark  that  Pike  could  not  see  the  speaker,  but  he 
had  no  doubt  that  it  was  Hunston. 

The  impression  was  confirmed  in  an  instant  by  the  goat- 
herd, who  said  in  a  jeering  manner— 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  Why  don't  you  capture  him  ?  You  were 
so  very  brave  to  talk,  yet  you  do  nothing." 

Pike,  by  a  sudden  jerk,  wrenched  himself  from  his  captors, 
and  dealt  the  mocking  brigand — for  he  was  nothing  more — 
a  blow  that  doubled  him  up  among  the  rocks. 

But  before  the  detective  could  escape,  he  was  thrown  down 
himself,  and  bound  hand  and  foot. 

Half-a-dozen  Greek  brigands  then  raised  him  and  bore 
him  away. 

How  far  he  could  not  tell,  but  it  seemed,  as  far  as  he  could 
guess,  five  or  six  miles. 

At  length  they  reached  a  little  open  glade  in  the  forest, 
where  at  least  a  score  of  brigands  were  assembled, 

"  You  have  him,  then  ? "  said  a  huge  fellow,  who  spoke 
with  an  Italian  accent. 

"Yes." 

"  Tie  him  to  that  tree." 

It  was  done. 

"  Now  listen,"  said  Toro — for  he  it  was  who  had  given  the 
command.  "  If  Tomaso  is  not  at  liberty  and  here  among  us 
at  noon,  you  shall  die." 

"  I  can  not  set  him  at  liberty." 

"  You  can  do  a  great  deal  towards  it.  Unfasten  one  of 
his  arms — his  right  arm." 

Pike's  right  arm  was  then  released,  and,  in  obedience  to 
Toro's  command,  a  small  table  was  placed  close  to  him. 

On  this  table  were  pens,  ink  and  paper. 

"  Now  write  to  your  friend  Harkaway,  and  tell  him  that 
unless  Tomaso  is  released  by  noon,  as  I  have  told  you,  death 
is  your  doom." 

So  Pike  wrote — 

"  I  am  in  the  hands  of  the  brigands,  and  unless  Tomaso  is 
released  by  noon,  I  shall  be  killed.  But  I  am  not  afraid  to 
die  ;  hold  your  captive  fast." 

Having  signed  it,  he  held  it  out  to  Toro,  who  read  it, 
and  then  called  a  messenger,  to  whom  he  entrusted  it  for 
delivery. 

Then  the  brigands  sat  down  to  breakfast,  and  Pike  was 
left  to  his  contemplations. 


A  D  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  i  r  3 

These,  as  may  be  imagined,  were  not  of  the  most  pleasant 
kind. 

Hour  after  hour  passed. 

The  brigands  were  some  sleeping,  some  playing  cards,  and 
all  enjoying  themselves  in  some  way,  but  no  one  took  any 
notice  of  the  prisoner. 

The  sun  rode  high  in  the  heavens, -and  it  was  evidently 
approaching  noon,  when  the  messenger  returned  from  the 
town  with  a  letter. 

It  was  addressed  to  Pike,  but  Toro  opened  it. 

It  was  not  from  Harkaway,  but  from  the  chief  of  the  police, 
informing  the  unfortunate  detective  that  the  Greek  govern- 
ment declined  to  make  any  terms  or  drive  any  bargain  with 
brigands,  but  that  any  ill  usage  Mr.  Pike  might  suffer  would 
be  most  effectually  avenged. 

"  You  hear  this  ?  "  said  Toro. 

"  I  do." 

"  Then  say  what  prayers  you  remember,  and  make  your 
peace  with  Heaven,  for  at  noon  you  die." 

"  Let  me  be  the  executioner,"  said  a  brigand  who  stood  by. 

"  Not  so,"  exclaimed  another ;  "  the  task  is  mine  by  right." 

"  Peace  !  "  said  Toro.  "  The  dice  shall  decide  his  fate. 
The  highest  thrower  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  shooting  him." 

The  brigands,  in  obedience  to  a  signal  from  the  chief, 
gathered  round  him,  a  short  distance  from  the  prisoner. 

Dice  were  produced  and  the  game  began. 

"  Double  four,"  cried  the  first  thrower. 

"  That  man  stands  a  good  chance  of  being  my  execu- 
tioner," thought  Pike.  "  To  fancy  that  I,  who  have  been  the 
terror  of  evil-doers  in  England,  should  be  the  sport  of  these 
dirty  brigands.  Why,  I  could  well  thrash  half-a-dozen  of 
them  in  a  fair  stand-up  fight." 

At  this  moment  a  loud  peal  of  laughter  greeted  the  second 
dicer. 

"  Ace — two." 

"  My  chance  is  worthless,"  said  the  man. 

"  Worthless  !  "  muttered  Pike  to  himself.  "  Aye,  you  are 
indeed  worthless,  compared  with  some  of  the  English  villains 
I  have  hunted  down  and  fought  for  life  or  death.  I  could 
die  like  a  man  if  I  only  had  to  die  in  a  fair  hand-to-hand 
fight  with  such  a  man  as  Birmingham  Bill,  the  very  first 
murderer  I  ever  coped  with;  but  I'll  show  them  how  an 
Englishman  can  die." 
8 


1 14  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SONS 

"  Double  six  ! "  shouted  one  of  the  brigands,  as  he  threw 
the  dice. 

The  man  was  the  smallest  and  ugliest  of  the  lot,  but  ii 
seemed  very  probable  that  he  would  be  Pike's  executioner. 
At  all  events,  he  carefully  loaded  his  carbine. 

"  To  be  shot  by  such  a  villain  as  that !  "  thought  Pike.  "  It 
would  have  been  better  if  one  of  the  shots  fired  by  that 
burglar  fellow  they  call  the  '  Whitechapel.  Devil '  had  taken 
effect ;  six  times  he  fired,  and  then  we  had  a  good  ten 
minutes'  tussle  before  I  could  secure  him." 

At  length  all  the  brigands  had  thrown  with  the  exception 
of  Toro. 

"  Double  six  again  ! " 

As  it  was  a  tie  between  the  two,  each  had  another  throw. 
The  little  ugly  brigand  threw. 

"  Two— three." 

Toro  then  took  up  the  dice,  shook  them  well  in  the  box 
and  made  his  cast. 

"  Fi^e— four  !  " 

And  Toro  was  hailed  the  winner. 

"  Prisoner,  I  give  you  two  minutes  to  prepare." 

"  Brigand,  I  am  prepared.  Such  sins  as  I  have  committed, 
I  have  repented  of,  so  do  your  worst  ;  but  rest  assured  that 
vengeance  will  some  day  overtake  you.  To  Heaven  I 
commend  my  soul  !  " 

With  as  much  composure  as  if  he  had  been  practising  at 
an  inanimate  target,  Toro  raised  his  gun,  and  counted — 

"  One ! " 

"Two!" 

"  Three  ! " 

At  the  word  three,  he  pulled  the  trigger.  The  report 
echoed  from  rock  to  rock,  and  the  head  and  body  of  poor 
Pike  fell  forward,  as  far  as  the  ropes  that  secured  him  to  the 
tree  would  permit. 

He  was  dead,  the  bullet  having  penetrated  the  brain. 


That  evening,  as  Harkaway,  Harvey,  and  Jefferson  re- 
turned from  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  rouse  the  authorities, 
they  found  that  two  men  had  left  a  heavy  package  at  the 
house. 

On  opening  it,  they  were  horrified  to  find  it  a  section  of 


A  D  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  I ;  5 

a  hollow  tree,  nearly  every  portion  of  the  wood  having  crum- 
bled away,  leaving  the  bark  intact. 

And  in  the  hollow  was  the  body  of  the  poor  detective  and 
a  brief  note. 

"  The  fate  of  all  brigand  hunters.     Beware  ! — TORO." 

"  Vengeance  for  this,  at  all  events, "  exclaimed  Harkaway. 

"  Poor  Pike  !  We  should  be  unworthy  of  the  name  of  Eng- 
lishmen did  we  not  punish  thy  murderers." 

He  wrote  a  note  to  the  mayor. 

"  SIR, — In  the  huge  package  that  accompanies  this  note, 
you  will  find  the  body  of  an  Englishman,  who  has  this  day 
been  murdered  by  brigands  ;  I  call  upon  you,  in  the  name  of 
Heaven,  to  rout  these  murderers  out  of  their  dens,  and  bring 
them  to  justice.  Should  you  show  any  backwardness  in  so 
doing,  I  shall  deem  it  necessary  to  appeal  to  the  English 
ambassador. 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"J.  HARKAWAY." 

Having  despatched  a  couple  of  messengers  with  the  body 
and  letter,  they  sat  down  with  sorrowful  hearts  and  small 
appetites  to  their  evening  meal. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

HUNSTON  IN  THE  CAMP   AGAIN — RETROSPECTION — A  DEVILISH 
PLOT — DARK  CLOUDS  GATHER  OVER  THE   HARKAWAYS. 

"  WHO  goes  there  ?  " 

"  A  friend." 

"  The  word  ? " 

"  Mathias." 

"  Stand ;  advance  a  step,  and  I  fire.  Ha !  I  see  you  now. 
I  did  not  recognise  your  voice,  Hunston." 

"  I  thought  not ;  but  why  all  this  precaution  ?  " 

"  Fear  has  induced  us  to  change  the  countersign.  We 
believe  there  is  mischief  abroad,  and  so  extra  precautions 
are  needed." 

"  Right,  Ymeniz,"  said  Hunston,  who  had  been  out  scout- 
ing for  a  few  hours  after  the  execution  of  Pike,  "  although  it 
is  to  be  feared  that  the  blindness  which  prevents  your  recogni- 


1 16  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

tion  of  a  friend  and  comrade  may  mislead  you  as  to  the  real 
character  of  an  enemy,  should  one  dare  to  penetrate  thus 
fur." 

The  sentry  laughed. 

"  Fear  nothing  on  that  score,  Hunston,"  he  said. 

"  Indeed  I  do." 

"  My  carefulness  may  turn  even  friends  into  enemies,  but 
lear,  or  over  carefulness " 

"  It  is  much  the  same  thing,"  suggested  Hunston. 

"  Right ;  but  it  is  not  likely  to  make  me  take  foes  fo*- 
friends." 

"  I  doubt  it." 

"You  have  a  cunning  tongue,  friend  Hunston,"  said  the 
sentry,  who  was  just  a  Httle  bit  nettled,  "  but  I  don't  believe 
that  you  could  prove  that  to  my  satisfaction." 

"  I  might  do  it  to  the  one  or  the  other,"  returned  Hunston, 
caustically ;  "  but  certainly  not  to  both,  the  two  are  so  op- 
posed." 

"This  was  just  a  dash  too  subtle  for  the  sentry,  and  so 
Hunston  passed  on  without  further  remark. 

A  few  steps  further  on  he  came  to  a  group  formed  of  the 
brigands,  gathered  around  Pedro,  a  brigand  who  had  been 
of  some  little  assistance  in  the  rescue  of  Hunston,  but  who 
\mlike  Tomaso,  had  managed  to  escape. 

He  was  recounting  the  late  adventures — from  his  own 
episode  in  the  tale — of  Hunston. 

Hunston  walked  up  to  the  centre  of  the  group. 

"  Pedro,"  he  said,  "  you  rescued  me,  and  perhaps  saved 
my  life ;  accept  my  hand,  and  with  it  my  eternal  gratitude." 
Pedro  stepped  back.  He  winced  instead  of  taking  the 
proffered  hand,  and  his  countenance  fell. 

"  Pardon  me  Hunston,"  he  said ;  "  I'm  very  glad  to  have 
been  of  service  to  you,  to  have  been  able  to  save  a  comrade, 
but " 

He  paused. 

Hunston  frowned. 

"But  what?" 

"  Don't  be  too  grateful." 

The  tone,  no  less  than  the  nature  of  the  request,  sounded 
just  a  little  bit  comical,  and  it  made  the  bystanders,  Hunston 
included,  smile. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that,  my  preserver  ?  Why  should 
I  not  be  grateful  ?" 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


117 


"  Because  I  have  heard  it  said  that  your  gratitude  brought 
bad  luck  to  anyone  who  had  really  befriended  you." 

Hunston  started. 

He  thought  of  Robert  Emmerson. 

That  arm  did  its  inventor's  work  well,  indeed. 

Not  a  day  passed  but  Hunston  realised  the  truth  of  the 
legend  inscribed  on  the  mechanical  arm. 

Not  a  day  passed,  but  that  he  saw  how  fearfully  was  the 
legacy  of  vengeance  bequeathed  by  the  murdered  Protean 
Bob  being  carried  out. 

Dropping  his  glance  in  some  confusion  for  a  moment,  he 
turned  sharply  upon  the  brigand  after  a  little  reflection. 

Pedro  could  know  nothing  of  the  death  of  Emmerson. 

Nay,  it  was  more  than  probable  that  the  very  name  was 
utterly  unknown  to  these  men. 

"  You  wish  to  insult  me,  Pedro,"  he  said, "  and  so  cancel 
the  obligatiou  I  am  under  to  you.  But  beware  of  going  too 
far,  for  you  may  leave  a  balance  upon  the  wrong  side,  and 
I  am  as  quick  to  avenge  an  insult  as  to  " 

Pedro  interrupted  him  with  a  laugh. 

"What  did  I  say  ?  I  have  only  just  rendered  you  a  great 
service — at  least,  so  you  say " 

"And  mean." 

"  And  mean,  perhaps  ;  and  yet  you  are  already  threatening 
me.  When  I  said  that  your  gratidude  is  said  to  bring  bad 
luck  to  anyone,  I  was  only  repeating  an  idle  saying — as  I 
thought — but  it  seems  like  the  truth,  after  all." 

Hunston  was  moving  thoughtfully  away,  when  the  brigand's 
words  stopped  him. 

"  Forgive  me,  Pedro,"  he  said,  turning  round  ;  "  I  am  a  bad, 
ungrateful  man,  but  I'm  not  utterly  wanting  in  decent  feel- 
ing. You  touch  me  on  a  very  sore  spot." 

So  saying  he  walked  on,  leaving  Pedro  staring  after 
him. 

"That's  a  queer  lot,"  muttered  the  brigand  to  himself, 
"  a  very  queer  lot.  I  think  I  would  sooner  have  the  murder 
of  a  priest  on  my  conscience  than  be  weighted  with  the  deeds 
that  he'll  have  to  answer  for." 

Pedro  was  no  fool. 

His  observations  were  pretty  well  to  the  point. 

Hunston  felt  the  pangs  of  remorse. 

Daily,  hourly,  in  fact,  he  looked  back  and  thought  of  what 
he  was,  and  what  he  might  have  been  had  not  his  vicious 


1 18  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  1US  SON  *S 

propensities  got  the  upper  hand  of  him  at  the  critical  turn 
in  his  career. 

And  so  the  demon  remorse  played  havoc  with  him  already. 

The  mechanical  arm  was  responsible  for  all.  Its  mys- 
terious disorganisation  had  been  the  direct  cause  of  his  forced 
inactivity. 

What  gives  ugly  thoughts  such  power  over  one  as  bodily 
inactivity  ? 

Nothing. 

Robert  Emmerson,  your  vengeance  is  as  terrible  as  it  is 
unceasing  in  its  action. 


Hunston  sought  the  widow  of  Mathias. 

"  I  have  made  good  progress,  Diana,"  he  said,  "  for  I  have 
learnt  enough  about  the  enemy  to  make  sure  of  getting  some 
of  them  at  least  into  our  power." 

The  listener's  eyes  glistened  at  the  words. 

*  Are  you  sure  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"What  do  you  propose  to  do,  then  ?     Tell  me." 

"  Harkaway  has  a  son — a  mere  youth." 

"  I  know  it." 

"  Well,  this  boy  is  a  dare-devil,  bold  and  fearless  lad;  noth- 
ing can  daunt  him.  He  is,  in  fact,  what  his  hated  father  was 
when  first  I  knew  him,  years  and  years  ago." 

A  faint  and  half-suppressed  sigh  escaped  him  as  he  uttered 
this. 

"What  of  this  boy?" 

"  This  boy  has  a  companion  called  Harry  Girdwood." 

"  Well." 

"  Well,  these  two  boys  are  to  be  trapped,  if  it  be  gone 
about  carefully — very  carefully,  mark  you." 

"  That  can  be  done,  of  course." 

"  It  can — by  you." 

Diana  stared  again  at  this. 

"  By  me  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  How  ? " 

"  Listen.  They  pay  a  certain  respect  to  us — hold  us  in 
some  fear,  in  fact — and  the  boys,  who  are  regular  rovers,  like 
their  parents  and  friends,  have  only  permission  to  cruise 
about  in  their  little  yacht .'" 


AD  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  1 1 9 

"  How  did  you  learn  this  ? " 

"  From  Marietta,  the  servant  of  the  Harkaways." 

"  Hah  ! " 

"  Now,  with  care,  the  boys  might  be  lured,  perhaps,  away 
from  the  part  of  the  coast  which  they  know,  and  let  them 
once  touch  the  shore  out  of  sight  and  hearing  of  their 
friends " 

"  I  see,  I  see,"  ejaculated  the  widow  of  Mathias.  "  I  can 
entrap  them,  I  believe.  But  tell  me  first,  what  is  the  object 
of  securing  these  two  boys  ?  " 

"  The  object !  "  ejaculated  Hunston.  "  Why,  surely  that  is 
clear  enough.  Let  us  once  get  hold  of  them,  and  we  can 
make  any  terms  we  like  with  the  father  and  friends.  We 
shall  have  to  dictate  the  conditions,  and  Harkaway  will  have 
no  choice  but  to  accept  them." 

"  I  see,  I  see,"  cried  Diana,  excitedly.  "  Leave  the  rest  to 
me ;  I'll  undertake  to  get  them  into  our  power." 

"  How  ? " 

"  No  matter  how ;  you  have  done  your  share  of  the  busi- 
ness. Be  mine  the  task  to  secure  the  rest." 

"  When  ? " 

"  To-morrow." 

"  Good !  "  said  Hunston,  gleefully,  "  good  !  I  feel  a  pre- 
sentiment of  luck.  I'm  not  superstitious,  but  I  feel  as  certain 
now  that  we  shall  succeed — as  certain  as  if  the  boys  were 
already  in  our  power." 

"  They  shall  be,"  returned  the  woman,  solemnly,  "  they 
shall  be.  I  swear  it ! " 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

JACK    AND     HARRY     GIRDWOOD     AFLOAT — THE     SQUALL — THE 

SHIPWRECKED  BOY — DEEDS  OF  HEROISM — THEIR  REWARD 

A  DEADLY  PERIL. 

"  DOWN  with  sail,  Jack ;  we  shall  be  over  if  we  are  not 
sprightly,"  said  Harry. 

Young  Jack  laughed. 

The  thought  of  danger  actually  made  him  merry,  and  so 
proved  that  he  was  every  inch  a  Harkaway — a  thorough  chip 
of  the  old  block. 

"  There's  no  fear,  old  fellow,"  he  said. 


120  JACK  HARK  A  WA  X  A  ND  HIS  SON 'S 

A  sudden  gust  of  wind  caught  the  sail,  and  caused  the  boat 
to  give  such  a  lurch  at  this  very  moment  that  both  the  boys 
were  sent  flying. 

They  got  some  hard  knocks. 

But  neither  was  afraid  of  a  little  rough  usage,  and  so  they 
only  scrambled  to  their  feet,  laughing  boisterously,  as  if  there 
was  great  fun  in  barked  shins  and  bruised  arms. 

"  I  told  you  so,  Jack,"  said  H^r/y  Girdwood. 

"  No  harm  done,"  retorted  Jack,  rubbing  a  damaged  part 
and  grinning. 

"  No,  but  don't  let  us  be  too  foolish ;  we  might  get  into 
trouble." 

Young  Jack  roared  at  this. 

"  Soho-ho  ! "  he  cried.  "  Shipped  another  passenger, 
Harry,  have  you  ? " 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? " 

"  Why,  you've  got  Captain  Funk  aboard." 

"  Not  I,"  returned  Harry,  "  only  if  we  get  into  any  fool- 
ish scrape,  they  won't  let  us  come  out  for  a  sail  again,  and 
as  this  is  the  only  jaunt  left  us,  we  may  as  well  keep  our- 
selves quiet." 

"  There's  something  in  that,"  said  young  Jack. 

So  saying,  he  set  about  reefing  the  sail  with  all  possible 
despatch. 

Now  it  was  barely  accomplished  when  a  violent  gust  of 
wind  drove  the  little  craft  along  at  a  furious  rate. 

It  was  only  just  in  time. 

A  moment  more  and  the  sail  would  have  been  shredded, 
or,  what  was  still  worse,  the  boat  would  have  been  capsized 
for  a  certainty. 

Harry  Girdwood  lowered  the  oars  and  pulled  sharply  along 
before  the  fury  of  the  gale,  while  young  Jack  baled  out  a 
little  water  that  had  been  shipped  in  the  first  heavy  lurch,  be- 
fore the  youthful  mariners  had  been  fully  prepared  for  such 
violent  treatment,  and  steered  at  the  same  time. 

In  this  way  they  contrived  to  elude  the  violence  of  the  gale 
for  the  present,  at  least. 

But  the  danger  was  by  no  means  overcome. 

They  had  not  got  through  the  worst  of  their  trouble  as  yet, 
little  as  they  anticipated  any  serious  danger. 

The  gale  had  come  on  with  strange  suddenness,  and  the 
truth  was  that  they  could  hardly  realize  the  extent  of  their 
danger. 


AD  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  1 2 1 

It  was  great. 

There  was,  perhaps,  a  special  providence  in  their  ignorance 
of  their  real  peril,  for  their  coolness  alone  gave  them  any 
chance  in  the  present  emergency. 

They  were  brave  boys  both — never  were  there  braver — yet 
it  is  no  disparagement  of  them  to  say  that  there  was  very 
great  probability  of  their  losing  their  sangfroid  if  they  had 
known  how  very  critical  their  position  actually  was. 

As  it  happened,  they  did  the  very  best  thing  to  do  under 
the  circumstances. 

They  kept  their  boat  before  the  wind,  and  by  vigorous 
rowing,  they  contrived  to  drive  along  at  a  rate  which  was 
literally  tremendous. 

And  so  on  they  scudded  for  about  ten  miles,  when  the 
wind  dropped  a  little,  and  the  pace  began  to  tell  upon  them 
both. 

"  Keep  her  off  shore,  Jack,"  cried  Harry  Girdwood. 

"  Right." 

The  wind  and  rain  had  half  blinded  young  Jack,  and  al- 
though he  had  said  "  Right,"  he  steered  decidedly  wrong. 

He  could  not  see  where  they  were  going. 

"  Look  out !  " 

Harry  Girdwood  only  just  spoke  in  time  for  young  Jack 
to  take  heed  of  the  warning,  for  a  minute  later  and  they  shot 
past  some  sharp,  jagged  rocks,  into  which  they  would  inevi- 
tably have  dashed  but  for  a  lucky  tug  at  the  rudder  at  the 
very  last  moment. 

Now  the  roar  of  the  wind  and  waters  had  just  begun  to 
lull  a  little,  when  a  loud  cry  for  help  was  heard. 

And  then,  for  the  first  time,  they  perceived  that  a  boat 
had  just  been  launched  by  a  boy  at  not  more  than  thirty 
yards  along  the  beach,  and  being  carried  out  to  sea  by  a 
huge  receding  wave,  had  become  unmanageable. 

They  could  see  with  half  an  eye  that  the  boy  had  no  skill 
in  handling  a  boat. 

"  Help,  help  !  "  cried  the  strange  lad,  waving  his  hand  in 
distress  towards  their  boat. 

«'  All  right,"  shouted  young  Jack.     "  We're  there." 

Harry  Girdwood  pulled  vigorously  towards  the  venturesome 
youth. 

A  few  strokes  brought  them  within  twenty  feet  of  the  im- 
perilled youth,  and  he  would  have  been  got  away  in  safety 
but  for  his  own  folly  and  imprudence. 


122  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOWS 

"  Sit  still,"  shouted  young  Jack.     "  Sit  still." 

u  He'll  be  overboard,"  ejaculated  Harry,  glancing  over  his 
shoulder. 

The  words  of  the  latter  proved  but  too  prophetic. 

A  cry  from  young  Jack — a  piercing  shriek  from  the  other 
boat. 

When  Harry  Girdwood  glanced  over  his  shoulder  again, 
he  saw  the  other  boat,  keel  upwards,  floating  away. 

The  unfortunate  youth,  its  late  occupant,  was  nowhere  to 
be  seen. 

"  He's  gone  !  " 

"He  has,"  cried  young  Jack,  starting  up,  "and  by  all 
that's  unlucky,  he  can't  swim.  Pull  on,  pull  hard.  Pull  for 
mercy's  sake." 

And  young  Jack  stood  up  in  the  boat,  tearing  off  his  jacket 
and  waistcoat. 

"  What  are  you  after  ?  " 

"  I'm  in  after  him." 

"  Jack,  Jack,  you'll  never  live  in  this  heavy  sea." 

44  Never  fear,  old  boy,  I'll  try." 

"  You  shall  not,  I  say.     You " 

"  Here  goes,"  cried  young  Jack. 

And  before  Harry  Girdwood  could  interfere,  over  he  went, 
head  first,  into  the  boiling  waves. 

Harry  Girdwood  held  his  breath  in  sheer  fright. 

He  shipped  his  oars  and  peered  over  the  boat's  side. 

Where  was  he  ? 

Would  he  never  come  up  ? 

Oh,  Heaven  !  what  a  fearful  time  it  seemed  that  the  in- 
trepid boy  was  under  water. 

It  seemed  an  age. 

In  reality  it  was  but  a  minute,  no  more,  before  young  Jack 
struck  up  to  the  surface. 

He  struck  out  with  one  hand — the  other  grasped  something. 

"  Harry." 

"  Yes,  Jack." 

"  I've  got  him." 

"  Hold  tight." 

"  I  mean  to,"  responded  young  Jack,  with  great  coolness, 
all  things  considered. 

And  now  Harry  could  see  that  Jack's  left  hand  was  twined 
in  the  black  flowing  hair  of  the  half  senseless  boy. 

The  latter  had  no  sooner  reached  the  air  and  gulped  down 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  123 

a  breath  or  two  greedily,  than  consciousness  came  partly 
back,  and  he  threw  his  arms  about  his  preserver  and  strug- 
gled desperately. 

"  Leave  go,"  cried  young  Jack.  "  Let  go,  or  we  shall  both 
go  down  together." 

But  it  is  not  easy  to  reason  with  a  drowning  man. 

Young  Jack  found  himself  now  in  a  desperate  strait 
indeed. 

The  frantic  efforts  of  the  rescued  boy  impeded  his  move- 
ments, entirely  baffling  the  heroic  Jack's  best  efforts. 

Harry  Girdwood  saw  it  all,  and  his  terror  increased  every 
moment. 

Well  it  might. 

The  mad  struggles  of  the  stranger  imperilled  both. 

"  Dive,  Jack,  dive,"  cried  Harry  Girdwood,  frantically ; 
"  dive  with  him,  or  it  is  all  up  with  both  of  you." 

Jack  heard  him. 

Twisting  like  an  eel  in  the  embrace  of  the  boy  he  would 
save,  he  dived  down,  dragging  the  stranger  with  him. 

In  the  space  of  a  few  seconds  he  reappeared  again  upon 
the  surface,  observing  his  former  tactics. 

Striking  out  with  his  right  arm,  while  with  his  left  hand 
he  grasped  the  stranger's  long  black  hair. 

"  Catch  hold  of  him,"  gasped  young  Jack ;  "  never  mind 
me." 

Harry  Girdwood  leant  over  the  boat's  side  and  caught  at 
the  stranger  by  the  collar. 

"  There ;  hold  on  like  that,"  said  young  Jack. 

The  weight  coming  all  upon  one  side  of  the  boat,  however, 
threatened  to  capsize  it,  and  so  they  had  to  act  with  the 
greatest  precaution. 

Young  Jack,  however,  struck  out  and  swam  round  the  boat, 
so  that  his  weight,  clinging  upon  the  further  side  of  the  boat, 
served  to  steady  it  while  Harry  Girdwood  completed  the 
rescue  of  the  stranger. 

"  Bravo  ! "  cried  young  Jack. 

"  It  was  a  tough  job,"  said  Harry. 

"  And  a  narrow  squeak  for  all  of  us." 

"  Right ;  but  let's  look  after  this  poor  fellow.     He's  alive." 

"  Yes.'' 

"  I'm  glad  of  that ;  it  would  have  been  precious  hard  after 
all  the  work,  not  to  mention  the  risk  run,  to  have  let  him 
slip  his  cable  in  spite  of  us." 


124  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  Well,  it  is  not  his  fault  that  he's  alive  now." 

"  Alive,"  quoth  young  Jack,  "  by  George  !  He  looks  more 
dead  than  alive  as  it  is." 

"  Don't  fear  for  him,  Jack  ;  he's  as  good  as  twenty  dead 
men  so  far,  but  how  are  you  getting  on  ? " 

"  Hearty.     Rather  damp  outside,  nothing  more." 

"  And  inside  ?  " 

"  Damp  too.  Why,  I  shipped  a  bellyful  of  salt  water  last 
drop  down  ;  enough  to  salt  a  barrel  of  junk." 

Harry  turned  his  attention  to  the  stranger. 

"  He  keeps  insensible  a  very  long  time,"  he  said  to  young 
Jack  ;  "  it  begins  to  look  serious." 

"  Move  the  seat,"  said  young  Jack,  "  and  let  us  lay  him  flat 
down  upon  his  back  at  the  bottom  of  the  boat.  I  have  al- 
ways heard  that  that  is  the  proper  thing  to  do." 

No  sooner  said  than  done. 

Presently  they  were  rewarded  for  their  pains  by  detecting 
a  faint  breathing. 

"How  white  his  neck  is,"  said  Harry  Girdwood. 

"  And  how  small  and  delicate  his  hands,"  said  young  Jack. 

"  One  would  almost  take  him  for  a  woman." 

"  He'd  pass  very  well  for  one  if  he  wore  petticoats." 

"  I'm  almost  inclined  as  it  is  to  think  that " 

"  Ha  !     He's  coming  round." 

The  youth  opened  his  eyes  and  stared  about  him. 

He  looked  half  scared  at  first  one  and  then  the  other. 

"  You  are  better  now,"  said  young  Jack,  taking  his  hand. 

He  stared. 

Jack  had  spoken  in  English  in  his  anxiety. 

He  put  the  same  sentiment  into  the  best  Greek  he  could 
muster. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  replied  the  stranger,  "  better,  better,"  and  then 
he  appeared  to  grow  more  and  more  confused  ;  "  but  what  is 
this  ?  Have  I  been  ill  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Ah ! " 

"  Not  very  ;  it  is  all  well  now.     Don't  you  remember " 

The  rocking  of  the  boat  furnished  the  missing  link  in  the 
chain  of  memory,  and  the  rescued  boy  showed,  by  a  ray  of 
intelligence  in  his  bright  face,  that  it  had  all  come  back  to 
him. 

A  smile  of  grateful  acknowledgment  of  their  services  shot 
over  his  countenance. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  125 

Then  suddenly  his  expression  changed. 

"  Where  are  we  going  ? "  he  demanded,  with  the  most  ex- 
traordinary eagerness. 

"  Ashore." 

"  Oh,  no,  no,  no  !  "  he  exclaimed :  "  not  ashore  here." 

"  Why  not  ? " 

"  You  must  not  go  ashore  here,"  said  the  youth,  eagerly, 
"  not  for  worlds. " 

"  Why  ?  " 

Jack  was  questioning  the  stranger  while  Harry  Girdwood 
shot  the  boat  into  a  favourable  creek. 

Harry  jumped  out. 

"  Come  along,"  he  said  cheerfully. 

"  Safe  on  shore." 

"  And  precious  glad  of  it,"  added  young  Jack. 

The  stranger  looked  upon  him  in  anxious  expectation, 
and  finding  they  were  alone,  he  turned  eagerly  to  his  young 
preservers. 

"  Put  off  again,"  he  said  ;  "  put  out  to  sea,  I  tell  you." 

"  Why  ? " 

"  You  have  disarmed  me ;  you  have  saved  my  life  and 
shown  me  tenderness  and  care — aye,  brotherly  love.  Oh," 
he  added  earnestly,  "  pray  go  now  ;  at  once,  while  you  are 
free." 

"  Well,"  quoth  young  Jack,  with  a  long  whistle,  "  this  is  a 
rum  go." 

Before  another  word  could  be  spoken,  there  was  heard  a 
whistle,  which  sounded  like  the  echo  of  young  Jack's  note ; 
an  answer  came  from  another  direction,  and  half-a-dozen 
men  sprang  forward  from  no  one  could  see  where,  and 
pounced  upon  our  two  bold  boys,  Jack  and  Harry  Girdwood. 

"  Bravo,  Theodora  ! "  cried  a  familiar  voice  in  English, 
"you  play  the  part  of  decoy  to  perfection.  We  have  got 
them  at  last." 

Young  Jack  started. 

He  turned  pale  and  haggard,  looking  in  a  moment  to 
Harry. 

"  Do  you  know  that  voice  ? " 

"  I  do,"  replied  Harry  Girdwood. 

"  We  are  sold,  undone.     It  is  the  villain  Hunston." 

*  *  *  *  *  * 

It  was  but  a  little  while  after  young  Jack  and  Harry  Gird- 


1 26  JA CK  HA RKA WAY  AND  HIS  SON*S 

wood  had  been  entrapped,  when  a  strange  scene  took 
place. 

Evening  was  coming  on. 

Brigand  sentinels  had  been  posted  at  each  path  by  which 
their  haunt  could  be  approached,  and  one  was  perched  high 
above  on  a  flat  rock,  which  overlooked  everything,  without 
being  seen  himself  except  by  the  very  sharpest  of  eyes. 

Hunston,  after  visiting  the  outposts  and  seeing  that  every- 
thing was  safe  for  the  night,  climbed  up  to  this  spot,  and 
seated  himself  on  a  large  stone. 

He  felt  feverish,  and  at  that  elevation  he  might  feel  some- 
thing of  the  breeze,  a  thing  unknown  down  below  at  the 
bivouac,  which  was  closely  surrounded  by  thick  bushes. 

Strange  dreads  and  doubts  filled  Hunston's  mind,  dread 
of  the  future,  dread  of  a  lingering  illness  through  his  arm, 
which  daily  grew  worse,  dread  of  death,  which  he  felt  con- 
vinced must  be  the  end,  and  doubts  whether  eventually  his 
enemy  Harkaway  would  not  triumph. 

For  Hunston's  hatred  of  Harkaway  knew  no  abatement ; 
living  or  dying,  the  same  fierce,  unquenchable  thirst  after 
vengeance  would  fill  his  soul. 

But  what  troubled  him  most  now  was  his  health. 

The  shoulder  to  which  the  mechanical  arm  was  attached 
was  so  painful,  it  could  scarcely  bear  the  pressure  of  the 
clothing  he  wore ;  the  blood  in  his  veins,  after  flowing 
through  that  part  of  the  system,  seemed  to  return  to  his  heart 
heated  almost  to  boiling  point,  but  that  heat  did  not  stimulate 
him  to  exertion. 

On  the  contrary,  he  felt  languid  and  scarcely  able  to  do 
the  duties  that  devolved  upon  him  as  Toro's  lieutenant. 

Nor  was  his  brain  so  clear  as  in  former  days. 

Ideas  he  had  in  plenty,  but  they  seemed  to  jostle  and  con- 
fuse each  other  in  their  endeavours  to  settle  down  into  a  con- 
nected train  of  thought. 

Emmerson's  vengeance  was  working. 

As  he  sat  there,  the  sentinel  remained  motionless,  leaning 
on  his  carbine  and  peering  over  the  edge  of  the  precipice. 

Presently  Diana,  the  widow  of  Mathias,  came  up  the  rock, 
and  Hunston  rose  to  greet  her. 

"  Your  husband  is  to  a  certain  extent  avenged,"  said  he. 

"How?" 

"  Harkaway's  boy  is  in  our  power." 

"  That  is  something,  at  all  events.     That  girl  Theodora, 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


I27 


the  niece  of  Tomaso,  has  done  her  work  well.  Vengeance 
has  commenced." 

"  Yes,  but " 

"But  what?" 

"  There  is  a  hitch  in  the  proceedings.  The  girl  is  soft- 
hearted, and  begged  hard  for  their  lives." 

"  She  is  a  fool !  By  Heaven,  I  am  half  inclined  to  do  the 
deed  myself  with  this  dagger." 

"  In  which  case  Toro  would  probably  do  for  you." 

"  What,  is  he  turned  craven  ?  " 

"  No ;  but  he  is  sweet  on  Theodora,  and  for  her  sake  is 
inclined  to  spare  them." 

Hunston  knew  well  enough  that  all  this  was  false,  as,  un- 
less certain  conditions  were  promptly  complied  with,  Toro 
would  certainly  kill  both  of  them  without  the  slightest  hesita- 
tion or  compunction. 

But  he  did  not  tell  Diana. 

"  But,"  he  continued,  "  what  is  your  idea  of  vengeance  ? " 

"  I  would  wring  other  hearts  as  mine  has  been  wrung.  I 
would  cause  blinding  tears  to  dim  the  brightness  of  other 
eyes  besides  mine.  I  would  cause  the  stern  judge  Death  to 
pass  a  decree  of  divorce  upon  others  besides  myself  and 
Mathias.  When  Harkaway  is  a  widower,  or  his  wife  a  widow, 
then  I  shall  consider  my  vengeance  partly  accomplished." 

"  Humph !  for  a  woman  you  are  tolerably  moderate.  I 
shall  not  be  satisfied  till  the  Harkaways  and  the  Harveys 
are  destroyed  root  and  branch — till  the  other  accursed  detec- 
tive, Nabley,  his  American  friend  Jefferson,  the  negroes,  the 
wooden-legged  ass  Mole,  till  every  one  of  the  party  is  swept 
away  out  of  my  path.  Harkaway  taught  me  to  hate,  and  I 
swear  by  all  the  eternal  powers  of  earth,  heaven,  and  hell, 
he  shall  see  how  I  have  profited  by  the  lesson." 

Diana  was  silent  for  a  few  moments ;  then,  with  something 
like  a  sneer,  said — 

"  You  are  a  brave  man — in  words,  Signer  Hunston." 

"  My  acts  speak  for  themselves." 

"  And  little  have  they  said  for  some  time  past.  But  listen  ; 
I  have  sworn  a  deep  and  deadly  revenge." 

"  Well." 

"  This  evening  I  depart." 

"  Good." 

"  When  I  return  again,  you  may  expect  to  hear  that  Hark- 
away  is  dead  or  his  wife." 


128  JACK  HA RKA  WAY  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

The  excited  woman  glided  away,  and  Hunston,  after  smok 
ing  a  cigarette,  followed  her. 

"  Good  ?  "  chuckled  Hunston  to  himself.  "  I  could  not 
have  a  better  ally  than  that  woman ;  for  she  can  go  where  I 
dare  not  show  myself,  and  will  find  opportunities  for  carrying 
out  her  plans  unsuspected.  Beware,  Harkaway  !  for  though 
I  have  waited  years  for  revenge,  it  is  now  within  my  grasp." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE   HARKAWAYS   LEARN   ALL — MR.    MOLE   EXPLAINS   AND 
GETS   INTO  TROUBLE   IN   CONSEQUENCE. 

WORDS  cannot  describe  the  trouble  of  the  Harkaway  family 
at  the  loss  of  young  Jack  and  his  stout-hearted  comrade, 
Harry  Girdwood. 

At  first  their  indignation  had  been  so  great,  that  their  first 
impulse  was  to  use  violent  means  to  effect  the  recovery  of  the 
boys. 

But  the  first  person  to  oppose  this  was  Jack  Harkaway 
'himself. 

"  If  we  were  to  attack  them  in  force,"  he  said,  "  it  would 
be  imprudent  upon  every  hand.  In  the  first  place  they  would 
have  the  advantage  of  us,  of  course,  in  a  mountain  skirmish." 

"  I  don't  know  that  they  would  get  the  best  of  it,"  said 
Harvey. 

'  Nor  I,"  said  Jefferson. 

'  We  can  do  nothing  at  present  as  far  as  I  can  see."  said 
Harkaway.  "  Only  wait." 

'  To  what  end  ?  " 

'  Their  object  must  be  plunder — money — ransom." 

4  Supposing  that  they  demand  a  sum  ?  " 

'  I  shall  pay  it  as  soon  as  ever  I  can  rake  it  up.  If  it  is 
more  than  I  possess  in  the  world,"  said  Jack  Harkaway, 
seriously,  "then  I  shall  borrow  of  my  friends  to  make  it  up." 

The  poor  fellow  turned  away  to  hide  his  emotion. 

"  What  guarantee  have  you  that  they  would  give  up  the 
boys  for  the  ransom  ?  " 

"  None.  But  I  should  not  send  the  money  first.  They 
would  have  to  send  the  boys  here  first." 

"  They  might  doubt  you." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


129 


"  Why,  yes.  But  Hunston  and  Toro  are  with  them,  and 
they  know  that  Jack  Harkaway's  word  is  his  bond,  no  matter 
with  whom  he  is  dealing,  let  them  be  the  veriest  scum  on  the 
face  of  the  earth." 

"  Which  they  are." 

"  Which  they  are,  as  you  say." 

"  Very  good,"  said  Jefferson.  "  Now  I  don't  want  to  play 
the  part  of  the  wet  blanket,  and  to  dash  your  hopes  to  the 
ground  before  they  are  half  formed,  but  I  wish  to  guard 
against  running  away  upon  a  false  track." 

"In  what  way  ?  " 

"  All  your  hopes  of  ransoming  the  boys  rest  now  upon  the 
fact  of  Hunston  and  Toro  being  with  the  brigands." 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,"  added  Jefferson,  "  how  do  you  know  that  Hun- 
ston and  Toro  are  really  in  the  band  ?  You  only  suppose 
that." 

"  I  can  answer  positively  for  that,"  said  a  voice  at  the  door. 

They  turned. 

There  stood  Nabley,  the  detective. 

"  Nabley ! " 

"  Nabley  here  ! " 

"  Himself,"  said  the  indefatigable  officer,  coming  forward. 
"  Hunston  is  with  the  brigands,  very  much  with  them,  in 
fact." 

"  That  we  know,"  said  Harkaway,  who  then  related  the 
death  of  Pike,  and  the  supposed  abduction  of  young  Jack. 

"  I  have  been  very  ill,"  said  Nabley.  "  I  fainted  in  the 
street,  and,  in  falling,  severely  injured  my  head.  But  do  you 
know  how  that  Hunston  finds  out  all  about  you  and  your 
doings  ?" 

'  No." 

'  Well,  it  is  through  one  of  your  own  household.1* 

'  Explain,"  said  Harkaway. 

*  What  do  you  mean  ? "  asked  Harvey. 

'  I  can't  talk  much ;  Mr.  Mole  will  tell  you  perhaps  better. 
Here,  Mr.  Mole." 

Mr.  Mole  stepped  forward,  looking  just  a  little  sheepish. 

"Mr.  Mole!" 

"  Mr.  Mole !  "  exclaimed  a  dozen  voices  in  chorus. 

"  Yes,  my  friends,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  stepping  for- 
ward with  his  well-known  modesty,  "  it  is  even  so  ;  your  much- 
pronged  Mole." 
9 


130  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  Tell  us  how  it  occurred,"  said  Harkaway. 

"  I  was  down  in  the  dancing  garden,  seated  in  a  species  of 
small  summer  house,  taking  a  glass  of — I  mean  a  cup  of  tea 
— ahem  ! — when  I  fell  asleep — I  dozed,  in  fact." 

"  You  would,"  said  Harvey.  "  I've  often  noticed  that  you 
doze  after  a  glass  of — I  mean  a  cup  of  tea." 

Mole  glared  at  the  speaker. 

"  The  heat  of  the  day  quite  overcame  me." 

"  It  would,"  said  Dick,  in  the  same  compassionate  manner. 

"  When  I  woke  up,  I  heard  two  persons  conversing  close 
by  the  green  arbour  where  I  sat." 

"  Yes." 

"  Two  familiar  voices." 

"  Ha  !  "  exclaimed  Harkaway,  eagerly. 

"  Now  guess,"  said  Mole,  "  who  the  two  familiar  voices 
belonged  to  ? " 

"  Can't." 

"  Out  with  it." 

"  One  of  the  voices,"  said  Mr.  Mole,  "  was  Hunston's,  the 
other  was " 

"  Toro's  ? " 

"  No." 

"  No  !     Whose  then  ?  " 

"  Marietta's." 

"  Marietta — what,  the  maid  here  ?  " 

'  Yes." 

'  Impossible." 

'  Was  it,  egad  ?   I  thought  so,  but  I  am  not  easily  mistaken." 

'  Unless  you  dreamt." 

'  Bah  ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Mole,  with  ineffable  contempt ; 
"  fiddlesticks  !  " 

"  But  did  you  suppose  she  was  in  league  with  Hunston  ?  " 
demanded  Emily  with  great  eagerness. 

"  No." 

"  What  then  ?  " 

"  He  was  bamboozling  her,  twisting  her  round  his  finger, 
as  one  might  say.  He  had  got  up  a  casual  chat,  per- 
suading her  that  he  was  a  private  friend  of  yours,  so  he 
pumped  and  pumped  her  about  the  boys,  where  they  went, 
and  so  forth." 

"  And  did  she  say  any  thing  that  could  serve  him  in  his 
vile  purpose  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Harkaway. 

"  Plenty  to  help  them,  the  miscreants,  I  suppose." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  131 

"  The  girl  must  be  a  downright  idiot  to  get  into  conver- 
sation with  a  strange  man  after  all  that  has  taken  place,  and 
after  all  the  danger  which  she  knows  they  ran." 

"  Not  far  short  of  it,"  said  Jefferson. 

"  He  spoke  particularly  about  the  boys  not  venturing  out 
to  the  mountains,  that  they  were  permitted  only  to  sail  about 
in  their  boat,  and " 

Harkaway  broke  in  here  with  an  exclamation  that  startled 
them  all. 

"  That  explains  all,"  he  said.     "  All,  all,  I  see  it  now." 

"  Do  you  ?     Explain." 

"  They  have  put  out  to  sea  and  taken  the  boys,  perhaps 
by  stealth,  perhaps  by  violence." 

"  Likely  enough." 

"  Poor  boys,  poor  boys  ! " 

"  And  where  did  all  this  take  place  ? "  demanded  Jeffer- 
son ;  "  in  one  of  the  public  promenades,  did  you  say  ? " 

"  Mr.  Jefferson,"  replied  old  Mole  saucily,  "you  want 
your  nose  filed.  I  said  in  the  dancing  garden." 

"  Oh,  de  dancing  garden,  was  it,  Massa  Ikey  ? "  said  a 
voice  in  his  ear,  which  caused  him  to  palpitate  nervously. 

It  was  Mrs.  Mole. 

When  he  had  spoken  of  the  dancing  garden,  he  had  not 
noticed  his  better  half's  presence. 

"  Yes,  my  dear,"  he  said  timidly,  trying  to  look  dignified 
the  while  before  the  company. 

"  And  what  was  you  doing  in  sich  a  place  as  a  dancing 
garding,  Mister  Mole,  sar  ? "  demanded  his  dusky  rib,  in  a 
voice  which  sounded  dangerous. 

"  I  went,  my  dear,  to  study  character,"  said  Mr.  Mole 
timidly. 

"What?  "  thundered  Mrs.  Mole. 

He  trembled,  and  faltered  something  almost  inaudibly. 

"  Studyin'  character,"  said  the  lady  with  great  contempt ; 
"  losing  your  character,  you  silly  old  pump " 

"  My  dear,"  remonstrated  the  old  gentleman. 

"  Don't  '  my  dear '  me,"  said  Mrs.  Mole ;  "  you're  gwine 
off  your  silly  old  cokernut,  you  bald-headed  old  coon." 

"  Mrs.  Mole  !  " 

"  You  go  to  dat  dancin'  garding  for  to  see  dem  gals  jump 
about  and  dance  and  make  fools  ob  demselves,  ignorant 
critters." 

"  No  such  thing,  I  tell  you,"  said  Mole,  indignantly. 


132  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOJV'S 

"  Oh,  yes,  it  is,"  said  his  better  half,  "  and  you's  a  bushel 
more  indelicate  dan  dey  is,  you  silly  old  possum." 

This  started  the  company  off  generally  in  a  noisy  fit  of 
laughter,  before  which  poor  Mole  was  forced  to  beat  a  retreat, 
followed  by  his  irate  partner. 

"  Poor  Mole,"  said  Jefferson,  laughing  heartily,  "  it  is  an 
unlucky  admission  for  him.  Chloe  will  give  it  to  him  sorely 
for  this,  I'm  afraid." 


They  went  deeply  into  the  question  of  ransoming  the  boys, 
for  they  were  convinced  that  they  had  really  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  the  brigands. 

But  do  what  they  would,  say  what  they  would,  they  could 
only  come  back  to  one  result. 

They  must  wait. 

Patience  was  difficult  under  the  circumstances,  but  there 
was  no  help  for  it. 

"Wait  till  to-morrow,"  said  Jefferson;  "it  is  a  hard  job, 
I  know,  but  I  feel  certain  that  if  the  boys  are  with  the  brig- 
ands, to-morrow  morning  will  bring  a  message  from  them." 

"  But  can  nothing  be  done  meanwhile  ?  "  said  Emily. 

"  No." 

"  Nothing." 

"  Stay  ;  you  may  get  some  papers  printed  and  circulated 
everywhere,  offering  a  heavy  reward  for  the  recovery  of  the 
boys." 

"  To  what  end  ? " 

"  It  can  do  no  harm,  and  may  do  good.  At  any  rate,  it  will 
show  the  brigands  that  we  are  ready  to  pay  the  piper  for  our 
boys'  sake." 

"That's  true,"  said  Jefferson. 

"Let's  do  it,"  said  Harkaway,  who  was  pacing  up  and 
down  impatiently ;  "  at  any  rate,  any  thing  is  better  than 
remaining  inactive." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

A  HOUSE  OF  MOURNING THE  LETTER  FROM  THE  ENEMY — A 

STRANGE  CORRESPONDENCE — THE  INCIDENT  AT  THE  OPEN 
WINDOW — HUNSTON'S  REVENGE — DESPAIR. 

IT  was  as  Jefferson  had  predicted. 

The  notices  were  printed  and  circulated  everywhere  by 
well-chosen  and  energetic  agents. 

Early  next  morning,  a  letter  was  found  fastened  to  the 
garden  gate. 

It  was  brought  to  Harkaway,  who  was  already  up  and 
busy. 

He  tore  it  eagerly  open,  and  found  the  following  written  in 
a  disguised  handwriting  and  in  English — 

"  To  Mr.  JOHN  HARKAWAY  : 

"  If  you  would  save  the  lives  of  your  son  and  your  protege, 
his  companion,  the  only  way  to  do  it  is  to  bring  the  sum  of 
five  hundred  pounds  sterling  to  the  stone  cross  by  the  old 
well  at  two  o'clock  this  afternoon.  Those  who  have  the  two 
boys  in  their  keeping  will  be  on  the  watch.  Come  along,  as 
you  value  your  happiness  and  their  safety." 

"  Not  very  likely,"  said  Jack  Harkaway. 
Instead  of  complying  with  this  very  shallow  request,  he 
wrote  an  answer  in  these  terms : 

"TO   HUNSTON   AND    HIS   FELLOW-VlLLAINS : 

"  Send  the  lads  back  here.  Within  half-an-hour  of  their  re- 
turn, the  money  shall  be  sent  to  where  you  will  and  when 
you  will.  This  I  promise,  and  swear  upon  my  honour.  None 
knows  better  than  yourself  that  this  may  be  implicitly  relied 
upon. 

"  HARKAWAY." 

This  letter  he  sent  by  a  trusty  messenger  to  the  spot  ap- 
pointed for  the  meeting  place,  and  they  waited  impatiently 
for  the  further  result 


134  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

It  was  not  long  coming. 

Before  two  o'clock,  Marietta  discovered  another  letter  tied 
to  the  garden  gate,  but  how  it  came  there  they  were  unable  to 
decide. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  it  was  soon  discovered  to  be  of  the 
highest  importance  to  them  in  the  present  state  of  affairs. 

It  was  brief  and  startling,  and  ran  as  follows — 

"  We  do  not  bandy  words  with  you.  We  offer  our  con- 
ditions. You  refuse.  Well  and  good.  The  consequences 
be  upon  your  own  head.  If  the  money  be  not  paid  by  four 
to-day,  at  six  the  boys  will  lose  an  ear  each." 

"  The  villains !  "  cried  poor  Harkaway.     "  Oh,  villains  !  " 

But  he  was  powerless  to  help  them. 

He  knew  well  enough  that,  do  what  he  would,  he  could 
not  hope  to  get  the  boys  back  without  paying,  and  paying 
through  the  nose  too. 

Nor  indeed  did  he  desire  to  try  to  achieve  this. 

The  only  question  was,  would  they  deliver  up  their  prison- 
ers, once  they  had  received  the  five  hundred  pounds  ? 

Perhaps. 

Perhaps  not. 

If  not,  they  would  be  in  as  much  peril  as  they  were  al- 
ready. 

Nay,  more. 

He  guessed  shrewdly  enough  that  once  they  had  received 
such  a  handsome  sum  as  five  hundred  pounds,  they  would 
think  that  they  had  drained  him  dry,  or  as  nearly  so  as  it  was 
possible  to  arrive  at,  and  so  might  make  short  work  of 
young  Jack  and  Harry  Girdwood. 

What  was  to  be  done  ? 

He  could  not  say. 

He  would  gladly  have  risked  all  that  he  possessed  in  the 
world  for  the  chance  of  having  his  boys  back. 

Aye,  his  boys,  for  Harry  Girdwood  was  second  only  in 
Harkaway's  affection  to  young  Jack. 

But  he  did  not  wish  to  reward  the  miscreants  for  ill-treat- 
ing the  unfortunate  lads. 

At  length  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  would  persist 
in  his  resolve  to  have  the  boys  back  before  he  parted  with 
any  money  at  all. 

Accordingly  he  wrote  another  note  to  the  brigands. 

This  he  dispatched  by  the  same  means  as  the  former 
note. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


'35 


"  Release  the  two  lads.  Restore  them  to  us,  and  the  ran- 
som of  a  king  shall  be  yours.  Fix  upon  any  sum,  however 
great,  provided  that  it  be  within  my  means  to  pay  it,  and  you 
shall  not  ask  twice.  Moreover,  I  shall  do  nothing  more  to 
molest  you  or  interfere  with  you  in  any  way.  Play  false,  or 
harm  a  hair  of  my  boys'  heads,  and  beware.  You  may  know 
that  Jack  Harkaway  is  not  the  man  to  make  an  enemy  of." 

The  answer  to  this  was  not  long  in  coming. 
An  ugly  scrawl  upon  a  dirty  piece  of  paper,  and  with  it 
was  a  small  parcel. 

"  We  despise  your  threats,  and  laugh  you  to  scorn.  That 
you  may  know  how  little  we  are  to  be  trifled  with,  we  send 
you  their  ears  in  proof  that  we  have  kept  our  word.  By  this 
hour  to-morrow  the  two  boys  die,  unless  you  pay  down 
the  sum  as  fixed  upon  by  us,  both  in  manner  and  in 
amount." 

Jack  Harkaway  turned  faint  and  sick. 

He  dared  not  open  the  parcel  which  accompanied  the  let- 
ter. 

He  sent  for  Jefferson  and  Harvey,  and  unable  to  trust  him- 
self to  speak,  he  placed  the  letter  in  the  latter's  hands. 

"  Read,  read,"  he  said,  with  a  horror-stricken  look. 

Harvey  glanced  down  the  letter,  and  his  countenance  fell 
as  he  passed  it  on  to  Jefferson. 

"  What  is  to  be  done  ? " 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  Jefferson ;  "  I  am  at  a  loss.  This 
is  too  horrible." 

"  What  do  you  say,  Dick  ?  " 

Harvey  hung  his  head. 

"  Speak,  Dick.  Tell  me,  old,  friend,  what  I  ought  to  do," 
said  Harkaway,  imploringly.  "  I  am  bewildered— dazed — at 
my  wits'  end.  What  ought  I  to  do  ?  " 

"  Pay  the  money." 

Accordingly  the  money,  all  in  gold,  was  placed  in  a  bag 
in  the  spot  which  they  had  indicated  in  the  first  note  ad- 
dressed by  the  brigands  to  Jack  Harkaway. 

This  done,  they  awaited  the  result. 

It  soon  came. 

Too  soon  for  the  latter's  peace  of  mind. 

As  the  family  and  their  friends  were  seated  in  moody  si- 


136  JA  CK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

lence  and  in  sorrow  around  the  dinner-table,  so  strong  was  the 
sense  of  oppression  upon  everyone  that  they  only  conversed 
in  whispers. 

"  The  heat  is  really  overpowering,"  said  Mrs.  Harkaway. 

"  Shall  I  open  the  window  ?  " 

"  If  you  please." 

He  hastened  to  comply  with  her  request,  when  at  that  very 
instant  something  shot  past  him  into  the  room. 

It  fell  with  a  clatter  upon  the  table,  and  cannoned  off  a 
dish  on  to  Jack  Harkaway,  striking  him  a  rather  sharp  blow 
in  the  chest. 

"What's  that?" 

"  Hullo  1 " 

"  A  stone." 

"  Yes,  a  stone  with  a  paper  wrapped  round  it." 

"  So  it  is." 

"  A  letter,  I  should  think,"  suggested  Dick. 

"  If  so,"  said  Harkaway,  smiling  sadly,  "  it  is  evidently 
meant  for  me." 

"  You  have  a  striking  proof  of  that,"  said  Dick. 

Harkaway  undid  the  paper  and  scanned  it  through. 

His  countenance  fell  as  he  read  on. 

His  pale  face  grew  pallid,  and  rising  from  his  seat,  he  ran, 
or  rather  staggered,  to  the  window. 

"  Gone  !  " 

"What  is  the  matter  ?  "  demanded  Dick,  jumping  up. 

"  See  after  the  man  who  threw  this  letter  in,"  exclaimed 
Harkaway.  "  Come  with  me — come,  come  immediately !  " 

And  with  this  somewhat  wild  exhortation,  he  tottered  out 
of  the  room,  followed  by  Dick. 

Everybody  arose  from  the  table  in  confusion. 

Dismay,  alarm,  was  depicted  in  every  face. 

"  What  can  it  be  ? "  ejaculated  Mrs.  Harkaway.  "  Oh, 
Mr.  Jefferson,  go  and  see,  and  bring  me  the  news." 

"  I  will.  Calm  yourself,  my  dear  Mrs.  Harkaway  ;  it  is 
very  likely  to  be  good  news  which  thus  agitates  poor  Jack." 

Away  he  went. 

"  I  fear  it  is  the  reverse,"  said  Emily,  shaking  her  head. 

Jefferson  overtook  Harkaway  and  Dick  Harvey  in  the 
gardens,  where  an  active  search  was  going  forward  after  the 
man,  or  individual  of  either  sex,  who  could  have  thrown  the 
stone  with  its  strange  letter. 

"  Let  me  see  the  letter,  Jack." 


AD  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  1 3  7 

The  latter  placed  it  in  his  hand,  and  then,  to  Jefferson's  hor- 
ror and  dismay,  he  found  it  contained  the  following  words — 

"  To  HATED  HARKAWAY. 

"  I  have  had  years  and  years  of  patience,  and  my  turn  has 
come  at  last.  As  your  eyes  glance  at  these  lines,  your  boy 
is  vainly  supplicating  for  mercy.  Before  you  reach  the  sig- 
nature at  foot,  your  accursed  brat  will  be  dead — mark 
that — dead  !  No  power  on  earth  can  save  him.  Had  you 
sent  the  money  demanded  as  his  ransom  more  promptly,  you 
could  have  saved  him.  May  the  knowledge  of  this  wring 
your  heart  as  you  have  wrung  mine  in  bygone  years. 

"  HUNSTON." 


CHAPTER  LXVII. 

A    HOUSE    OF   MOURNING HARVEY'S     RESOLVE — A    TIME    OF 

TROUBLE. 

"  HORRIBLE  !  "  cried  Jefferson  ;  "  horrible ! " 

Dismay  and  terror  were  on  every  face. 

The  dreadful  news  paralysed  their  movements,  and  ren- 
dered them  momentarily  helpless. 

Dick  Harvey  was  the  first  to  break  the  silence. 

He  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  made  for  the  grounds,  motion- 
ing the  others  to  follow  him. 

"  Let  us  try  and  catch  the  postman,"  he  exclaimed  ;  "  if  we 
get  hold  of  him,  we  may  learn  something  worth  knowing." 

Bravo  ! "  responded  Jefferson  ;  "  a  capital  idea." 

"  They  were  flying  all  over  the  grounds  immediately. 

But  the  result  may  be  guessed  in  advance. 

Not  a  sign  was  there  of  the  bearer  of  this  alarming  letter. 

They  gave  up  the  search  only  when  there  was  not  the 
faintest  vestige  of  a  hope  left,  and  crestfallen  and  disap- 
pointed, they  returned  to  the  house. 

"  Come,"  said  Dick  to  the  bold  American  ;  "  we  must  move ; 
we  must  be  stirring." 

"  What  for  ?  " 

"  For  several  reasons,"  replied  Dick,  "  but  firstly  for  the 
purpose  of  giving  Jack  something  to  do.  It  will  never  do  to 
let  a  man  in  his  condition  brood." 

They  sought  poor  Harkaway  again,  and  led  him  off  to  hold 
a  consultation. 


138  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

"  Jack,"  said  Harvey,  brusquely,  "  you  must  not  give  way 
to  despondency.  I  say  positively,  must  not.  You  will  cer- 
tainly undermine  your  health." 

"  Do  not  fear  for  me,  Dick,"  returned  Harkaway.  "  I  shall 
be  better  for  a  little  quiet." 

"  Indeed  you'll  not.     Besides,  it  is  not  just  to  the  boys." 

Harkaway's  lips  quivered,  and  a  big  lump  rose  in  his 
throat. 

He  swallowed  it  with  considerable  difficulty,  and  silently 
wrung  Dick's  hand. 

"  Don't,  don't,  old  friend,"  he  faltered,  in  a  broken-hearted 
voice.  "  I  can't  bear  the  mention  of  their  names.  Poor 
boys  !  poor  boys  !  " 

"But  you  must,"  insisted  Harvey.  "  I  don't  mean  to 
leave  them  in  the  lurch." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  What  I  say.     We  must  not  give  up  the  search." 

"  Ah,  Dick,  you  would  persuade  me,  if  you  can't  persuade 
yourself." 

"  You  are  wrong,"  replied  Harvey.  "  I  have  the  deepest 
conviction  on  the  point." 

"  To  what  effect  ? " 

"  That  they  live— both  live." 

Jack  Harkaway  looked  positively  frightened  at  this 
reply. 

"  Dick,  Dick,"  he  exclaimed,  mournfully,  "  what  are  you 
saying,  old  friend  ?  " 

"  What  I  mean.    They  yet  live,"  returned  Harvey  boldly. 

"  No,  no." 

"  But  I  say,  yes,  yes." 

"  I  should  rather  say  that  they  were  murdered  long  before 
we  received  their  last  message." 

"Come,  come,  Jack,"  he  said;  "  rouse  yourself,  man. 
Whatever  can  make  you  believe  this  to  be  true  ? " 

"  The  letter." 

Dick  laughed  at  this. 

"  That  is  the  very  first  thing  to  raise  my  doubts,"  re- 
plied Dick.  "  Why,  we  have  known  Hunston  all  his 
life,  and  never  found  him  any  thing  but  the  most  notorious 
»iar." 

"  True  ;  but " 

"  He  told  lies  as  a  boy — lies  as  a  youth — lies  as  a  man. 
His  life  has  been  one  long  lie,  and  yet  you  choose  to 


A D  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  x  39 

make  yourself  wretched  and  all  of  us  too  upon  the  strength 
of  such  a  vagabond's  word.  Bah  !  " 

Harkaway  hung  his  head  and  sighed. 

"  That  is  not  all,  Dick,"  he  said  ;  "  I  have  the  direst  pre- 
sentiment upon  me " 

"  Presentiment  !  "    ejaculated    Dick,    interrupting    him. 

"  Well,  Jack,  I  will  not  quarrel  with  you  about  presenti- 
ments, since  I  am  urged  on  to  what  I  am  about  to  say  and 
do  by  presentiments — only  my  presentiments  are  of  the 
most  hopeful  description." 

"  Dick,"  said  Harkaway,  looking  him  straight  in  the  face, 
"  you  are  trying  to  deceive  me." 

"  I  swear  I  am  not,"  retorted  Harvey,  with  warmth. 
"  And  you  shall  soon  see  whether  or  not  I  am  in  earnest." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  I  mean  that  I  am  going  to  fetch  the  boys." 

"  What  wildness  are  you  talking,  Dick  ?    What  is  this  ?  " 

"  Simply  that  to-morrow  at  daybreak  I  shall  start  off  on 
the  search." 

"  Whither  ?  " 

"  To  the  mountains." 

Harkaway  looked  frightened  at  this. 

"  Not  to  trust  yourself  in  the  brigands'  clutches  ?  " 

"  I  mean  to  beard  thetigersin  their  lair,"  echoedDick  firmly; 
"  not  a  word,  Jack,"  he  added,  as  he  saw  Harkaway  about  to 
interrupt  him,"  not  a  word  ;  the  worthy  Richard  Harvey 
will  not  go,  but  his  spirit  in  another  skin  will  go." 

"  You  are  never  going  to  trust  yourself  in  a  disguise." 

"  I  am." 

"  Why,  Dick,  old  friend,  were  you  that  unhappy  man 
Protean  Bob  himself,  Hunston  would  penetrate  your  disguise  ; 
the  eye  of  hate " 

"  Nonsense.  If  I  were  Protean  Bob,  Hunston  would  be 
too  glad  not  to  recognise  me." 

"  Perhaps." 

"  Now,  Jack,  you  must  listen  to  me,  and  not  give  advice. 
My  determination  is  taken  ;  nothing  can  shake  it.  Hilda 
and  the  family  generally  must  suppose  that  I  have  gone  to 
the  port  to  arrange  about  our  departure,  since  they  all  appear 
to  be  so  thoroughly  bent  upon  leaving  here." 

"  But  they  will  never  believe  a  word  about  it." 

"That  I  can  not  help,  but  at  all  events  I  leave  here 
to-morrow,  at  daybreak,  and  may  the  shade  of  one  of  their 


140  JA  CK  HA  RKA  WAY  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

victims  aid  me  to  throw  dust  in  the  eyes  of  Hunston  and  th* 
Italian  villain  Toro." 

"  Amen,"  said  Harkaway,  seriously. 

****** 

Surely  enough,  at  daybreak,  someone  set  forth  from  the 
villa,  but  although  we  who  are  behind  the  scenes  can  give  a 
shrewd  guess  at  who  it  was,  the  early  wanderer  looked  about 
as  unlike  Dick  as  you  could  well  imagine. 

Was  it  indeed  Dick  ? 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  SILK  DRESS — MURDER  ! 

THE  morning  after  the  interview  between  Hunston  and  the 
widow  of  Mathias,  that  woman  was  missing  from  the  camp. 

No  one  doubted  that  she  had  gone  on  her  errand  of  ven- 
geance, for  Hunston  had  told  Toro  and  one  or  two  others  of 
her  threats  against  the  Harkaways  ;  but  the  question  was  how 
and  when  she  did  so  ? 

No  one  knew. 

The  sentinels  who  all  night  long  had  guarded  each  known 
path  leading  to  or  from  the  bivouac  were  questioned,  but 
neither  of  them  had  seen  her  depart. 

Toro  was  rather  annoyed  at  this  ;  not  that  he  had  any  great 
objection  to  her  slaughtering  the  whole  of  the  Harkaway 
family,  although  he  certainly  would  prefer  to  perform  that 
task  himself.  But  he  could  not  help  thinking  that  a  secret 
path  might  admit  foes,  as  well  as  permit  the  exit  of  friends. 

However,  we  must  leave  Toro  to  his  reflections,  and  follow 
the  brigand's  widow. 

It  was  between  one  and  two  in  the  morning  when  she  quitted 
the  bivouac  without  being  observed,  and  walked  slowly  to- 
wards the  town  where  the  Harkaways  were  located. 

There  was  no  occasion  for  hurry. 

At  that  hour  of  the  morning  she  could  not  hope  to  gain 
admittance  to  the  house  where  her  foes  were  located. 

A  day  must  pass,  and  evening  come  again,  before  any 
thing  could  be  done. 

Diana's  brain  was  in  a  whirl. 

Deep-seated,  poignant  grief  for  the  loss  of  one  whom  she 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  j4I 

had  loved  with  all  the  passion  her  impetuous  nature  was 
capable  of,  made  the  thought  and  hope  of  revenge  grow 
stronger  and  stronger. 

Vengeance!  aye,  and  a  terrible  one  was  what  her  soul 
craved. 

Let  once  the  deadly  blow  be  stricken,  and  what  matter 
then  even  if  she  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  authorities  ?  What 
matter  even  if  her  life  was  pronounced  a  forfeit  to  the  law  ? 
for  life  now  had  little  charm  for  her. 

As  the  sun  rose,  she  sat  down  a  little  way  out  of  the  road 
and  tried  to  form  some  connected  plan  for  carrying  out  her 
purpose. 

But  no  !  her  brain  was  too  confused  for  deep  thought,  and 
after  a  brief  interval  she  resolved  to  act  upon  no  plan  what- 
ever, but  simply  do  as  the  course  of  events  might  dictate. 

At  about  the  hour  when  she  thought  the  inhabitants  of  the 
town  would  begin  to  stir,  Diana  walked  into  the  place. 

She  knew  the  residence  of  the  Harkaways  well,  but  scarcely 
glanced  at  it  as  she  passed  and  proceeded  to  a  little  house  not 
far  from  it,  where,  according  to  an  inscription  over  the  door, 
one  might  obtain  food,  drink  and  lodging. 

Entering  this  place,  Diana  made  a  slender  meal,  and  then, 
telling  the  ancient  dame  who  kept  the  house  that  she  was 
fatigued,  demanded  to  be  shown  where  she  could  repose  for 
an  hour  or  two. 

The  old  woman  ushered  her  into  a  small,  meanly-furnished 
apartment  at  the  front  of  the  house. 

"  Do  not  disturb  me.  I  will  rest  till  noon  if  not  later," 
said  Diana. 

"You  shall  not  be  interrupted,"  was  the  response,  and 
Diana  was  left  alone. 

She  tried  to  sleep,  so  that  she  might  be  stronger  and  cooler 
for  the  business  she  had  in  hand ;  but  the  excitement  under 
which  she  laboured  effectually  chased  away  drowsiness. 

A  little  after  noon  the  woman  of  the  house  looked  in,  and 
rinding  her  lodger  awake,  entered  into  conversation,  com- 
mencing by  suggesting  some  refreshment. 

Diana  shook  her  head. 

"Ah,  my  food  is  very  plain  and  humble,"  said  the  old 
woman.  "  I  can't  give  you  such  dainties  as  the  people  over 
yonder  eat." 

She  jerked  her  thumb  in  the  direction  of  the  Harkaway 
residence. 


142  JACK  HA RKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

"  What  people  are  they  ? "  asked  Diana,  with  an  assumed 
indifference  she  was  far  from  feeling. 

'  Some  English. " 

'  Do  they,  then,  eat  and  drink  the  best  ?  " 

'The  very  best ;  oh,  they  are  rich." 

'  What  do  they  want  here  ?  " 

'  They  have  come  to  destroy  the  brigands  ;  is  it  not  droll  ? " 

'  Ha !  have  they  succeeded  ?  " 

'  No ;  but  if  they  are  not  careful,  the  brigands  will  destroy 
them.  They  are  so  careless." 

Diana  was  afraid  to  exhibit  too  much  interest  in  the  doings 
of  the  Harkaways,  lest  she  should  arouse  suspicion. 

So  she  simply  nodded,  and  listened  most  anxiously  to  what 
the  garrulous  old  woman  would  say  next. 

"  So  very  careless ;  anyone  might  get  into  their  house  by 
the  side  door,"  said  the  ancient  dame. 

"  Well,  it  is  their  own  fault  if  they  are  robbed." 

"True.  But  it  would  be  little  credit  to  the  robber;  they 
think  the  brigands  are  afraid  to  enter  the  town,  so  they  don't 
take  many  precautions." 

Diana  treasured  up  every  word  of  this. 

Presently  the  old  woman,  finding  her  guest  was  not  con- 
versationally inclined,  went  out  again,  and  Diana  was  left 
alone. 

The  sun  set,  and  darkness  began  to  gather  rapidly  when 
she  went  out,  and  after  going  a  little  way  down  the  street, 
returned,  and  sought  the  side  door  of  Harkaway's  house. 

She  turned  the  handle  softly  and  entered. 

There  was  no  one  in  the  kitchen  where  she  found  herself, 
but  the  subdued  noise  of  knives  and  forks  in  another  apart- 
ment convinced  her  that  they  were  at  dinner  or  some  other 
meal. 

Diana,  as  soon  as  she  had  ascertained  that  fact,  glided 
like  a  spectre  up  the  stairs,  and  noiselessly  examined  various 
bedchambers. 

At  length  she  decided  on  hiding  herself  in  one  which  seemed 
better  furnished  than  the  others. 

"  This  must  be  it,"  she  thought. 

And  she  was  right. 

It  was  the  apartment  of  Mrs.  Harkaway. 

On  the  dressing-table  was  a  folded  paper. 

Diana  opened  it,  and  found  that  it  was  a  milliner's  bill 
against  Mrs.  Harkaway. 


ADVENTURES  2N  GREECE. 


'43 


44  For  making  a  pearl-grey  silk  dress,  etc. ,  etc." 

To  hide  herself  was  Diana's  next  move. 

Clutching  her  sharp  dagger  firmly  in  her  hand,  the  venge- 
ful woman  concealed  herself  behind  some  tapestry  and 
waited. 

Nor  had  she  long  to  wait. 

A  light  foot  was  heard  without. 

The  door  was  opened,  and  a  second  afterwards,  a  grace- 
ful female  form  was  seated  before  the  mirror,  with  its  back 
towards  Diana. 

And  a  female  voice  said — 

"  This  pearl-grey  silk  suits  my  complexion  far  better  than 
I  thought  it  would.  But  it  fits  me  badly.  These  Greek 
milliners  are  not  to  be  compared  with  those  of  London  or 
Paris." 

Then  the  wearer  of  the  pearl-grey  silk  heaved  a  deep  sigh> 
and  Diana  softly  moved  the  curtain  aside  a  little  to  get  a 
view  of  the  person  who  had  spoken. 

The  face  was  not  visible,  but  from  the  figure  generally, 
Diana  had  not  the  slightest  doubt  it  was  Mrs.  Harkaway. 

"  I  want  some  new  jewellery  sadly,"  continued  "  pearl- 
grey  silk  ;  "  "  but  yet,  after  all,  it  would  be  scarcely  safe  to  wear 
it  here,  while  the  brigands  are  in  the  neighbourhood.  But 
they  will  soon  be  done  for." 

The  widow  glided  out  from  her  hiding-place  as  the  wearer 
of  the  silk  dress  continued — 

"  We  have  one  villain  safe  enough,  and  another,  Mathias, 
was  smothered  in  a  chimney — ha,  ha,  ha,  ha— oh  ! " 

The  laugh  ended  in  a  deep  groan,  and  never  more  came 
the  slightest  sound  from  those  lips  that  a  moment  before  had 
been  so  merry. 

Diana  had  struck  so  hard  and  surely  that  no  second  blow 
was  needed,  for  the  first  pierced  a  human  heart. 

"That  laugh  was  an  insult  to  the  memory  of  my  dead 
husband,"  she  said.  "  Let  none  dare  scoff  at  Mathias." 

Like  a  shadow,  she  glided  away,  leaving  the  wearer  of  the 
pearl-grey  silk  sitting  motionless  before  the  mirror.  Dead  ! 

The  silk  dress  soaked  with  her  heart's  blood. 

A  few  minutes  later,  some  one  entered  Mrs.  Harkaway's 
apartment,  and  then  arose  the  fearful  cry — 

*«  Help  1  murder  i" 


1 44  JA  CK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

YOUNG  JACK  IN  TROUBLE — THE  COUNCIL — DOOM  OF  THE  BOYS 
— A  SOLDIER'S  GRAVE  AT  DAYBREAK. 

YOUNG  Jack  and  Harry  Girdwood,  who  by  their  friends 
are  supposed  to  have  been  grievously  ill-treated,  found  them- 
selves dragged  by  rough  and  brutal  hands  to  a  considerable 
distance  from  the  shore  where  they  had  unfortunately  landed. 

The  boy  whom  young  Jack  had  rescued,  and  who  decoyed 
them  to  their  ruin,  disappeared  at  once. 

"  Jack,"  said  Harry  Girdwood,  when  recovered  from  the  first 
shock,  "  we  are  done  for." 

"  No  mistake  about  that,"  returned  young  Jack,  gloomily. 

"  Well,  well,  it  is  no  fault  of  ours  ;  that  is  some  consolation." 

"  A  precious  poor  consolation,  since  here  we  are." 

"Yes." 

Here  they  were  interrupted  by  their  captors. 

"  Move  on  !  " 

The  voice  was  Hunston's,  and  that  sufficed  for  young  Jack 
to  show  signs  of  opposition. 

Vain  obstacle. 

The  ruffians  were  only  glad  of  the  slightest  pretext  for 
further  brutality. 

"  We  are  quite  comfortable  where  we  are,"  said  young  Jack. 

"  Insolent  brat !  "  said  Hunston  contemptuously.  "  You 
shall  be  birched  well  for  that." 

The  colour  mounted  to  the  boy's  face  in  spite  of  himself. 

"  You  can  threaten  in  safety,  fellow,"  said  young  Hark- 
away,  turning  and  facing  their  old  enemy,  "since  you  have 
so  many  backers  to  protect  you." 

Hunston  grew  livid. 

"  You  wretched  spawn  of  a  hated  race,"  he  ejaculated  be- 
tween his  teeth,  "  do  you  dare  speak  to  me  ?  " 

"  There  is  not  much  daring  required,"  retorted  Jack,  boldly. 

The  words  were  barely  uttered  when  Hunston  dealt  the 
boy  a  buffet  which  nearly  sent  him  to  the  earth ;  but  young 
Jack  was  pretty  prompt  in  returning  it. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


'45 


This  was  a  kind  of  debt  which  the  Harkaways  were  not 
long  in  acquitting. 

Quick  as  lightning  recovering  himself,  he  turned  and  leapt 
upon  Hunston,  and  taking  him  unexpectedly,  he  toppled  him 
over  and  fell  upon  him,  clutching  him  by  the  throat. 

"  Now  I'll  show  you  what  it  is  to  lay  your  dirty  fingers  on 
a  Harkaway,"  exclaimed  the  boy,  glaring  into  the  other's 
face. 

"  Let  go,  or " 

"  My  father  trounced  you  before  he  was  my  age,"  cried 
the  boy  excitedly,  "  and  now  I'll  finish  you  that  you " 

But  he  was  not  allowed  to  complete  his  threat. 

Rough  and  muscular  hands  dragged  him  off. 

Else  had  Hunston  fared  badly. 

It  was  all  momentary,  but  no  sooner  had  the  brigands 
perceived  their  comrade  to  be  in  danger  than  they  seized 
hold  of  the  young  prisoner  and  dragged  him  off. 

Hunston  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  knife  in  hand  rushed  upon 
the  boy,  but  the  others  interfered  and  placed  themselves 
between  the  boy  and  the  man. 

'  Come,  Hunston,"  said  one  of  the  men,  "  let  him  alone." 

'  But  he  has  struck  me." 

'  You  provoked  it." 

'  What  then  ?     Shall  I  take  a  blow  from  such  as  he  ? " 

'  You  were  wrong  to  strike  a  child — a  child  too  that  is 
unarmed." 

Hunston  hung  his  head  at  this  way  of  putting  it. 

"  No  matter ;  he  shall  die  for  this." 

"  Perhaps  so;  but  meanwhile,  there  is  possibility  of  ran- 
som. The  interests  of  the  band  can  not  be  allowed  to  suffer 
for  you." 

Hunston  was  silent. 

He  sheathed  his  knife,  but  his  silent  resolves  were  not  less 
murderous  for  being  unuttered. 

"  Lead  the  way,  Simon,"  said  the  brigand  who  appeared  to 
be  chief  spokesman. 

Simon  stepped  onward,  and  behind  him  young  Jack  and 
Harry  were  forced  to  march. 

They  were  walking  into  captivity,  but  they  could  not  help 
themselves  ;  and  so  they  wisely  obeyed,  so  as  not  to  give 
their  captors  fresh  excuse  for  further  barbarity. 

The  road  which  Simon  led  them  was  a  gloomy  and  narrow 
defile  that  wound  precipitously  up  among  the  hills. 
10 


1 46  JA  CK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

Sometimes  the  rocks  overhung  the  road,  so  that  the  sky 
was  barely  visible,  and  here  and  there  heaven  was  altogether 
obscured,  for  they  had  to  walk  through  tunnels  in  the  solid 
rock — too  solid  apparently  to  have  been  worked  by  the  hand 
of  man. 

On  they  walked  upon  the  gloomy  track,  the  silence  only 
broken  by  the  echo  of  their  own  footfalls. 

Any  thing  so  desolate  our  boys  had  never  beheld. 

A  dull  settled  feeling  of  loneliness  and  despair  fell  upon 
the  two  boy  prisoners. 

After  journeying  in  this  way  for  about  two  miles  they  came 
unexpectedly  (to  them — for  of  course  Simon  the  guide  knew 
where  he  was  leading  the  party)  upon  a  circular  opening 
among  the  hills,  beneath  which  was  what  appeared  to  be  a 
table  land  of  dark  earth  or  peat. 

"  A  swamp,"  said  Harry  Girdwood. 

"  It  looks  like  a  bog,"  said  young  Jack,  "  but  yet  I  can 
see  something  moving." 

"  It  is  water." 

"  A  lake." 

"  Yes." 

"  How  black — how  dismal  it  looks." 

It  did,  indeed. 

Silent  and  gloomy,  like  a  table  of  metal,  spread  the  dark- 
ling waters  of  this  strange  lake. 

Wild  and  desolate  was  it  in  the  extreme. 

On  every  side  it  was  enclosed  by  towering  heights,  bare, 
treeless  and  solemn. 

Both  boys  were  plainly  impressed  with  the  dull  solemnity 
of  the  scene. 

"  What  does  that  look  like  ?  "  said  young  Jack,  in  a  low 
voice  to  his  companion. 

"  I  don't  know — Lerna,  the  famous  marsh,  near  Argos." 

"  No ;  it  was  there  that  Hercules  killed  the  Hydra,  wasn't 
it?" 

"  Yes." 

"  I  should  like  to  think  that  it  was  like  that,"  he  said, 
glancing  around  at  the  brigands  about  them. 

"  And  that  you  or  we  might  emulate  the  example  of 
Hercules." 

"  Ah,  yes." 

"  But  our  enemies  are  more  than  hydra-headed." 

The  other  glanced  eagerly  about  him  before  he  spoke. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


147 


"  It  is  a  question  ;  I  should  almost  sooner  run  a  good  deal 
of  risk  than  be  marched  quietly  off." 

Now  at  this  present  juncture  there  was  a  signal  from  the 
topmost  hills,  and  upon  a  trumpet  note  being  blown  in  an- 
swer by  one  of  the  brigands,  dark,  dusky  forms  appeared  upon 
every  side. 

Men  sprang  up  in  the  rocky  hills  all  round  the  dark  waters 
of  the  lake,  as  promptly  as  the  kilted  savages  responded  to 
the  summons  of  their  chieftain,  Rob  Roy  Macgregor  Camp- 
bell. 

Whatever  wild  fancies  the  two  boy  prisoners  might  have 
had  in  their  minds,  this  startling  phenomenon  effectually 
drove  them  away. 

And  fortunate  it  was,  too,  for  them. 

Hunston  called  a  halt. 

The  men  were  nothing  loth. 

The  road  they  had  traversed  was  steep  and  rugged,  and  it 
had  perhaps  told  less  upon  the  two  boy  prisoners  than  upon 
any  of  the  party. 

The  brigands  sat  and  refreshed. 

They  made  a  hearty  meal  of  cold  meat  and  coarse  bread 
and  herbs,  and  they  drank  of  their  wine  from  the  skins  until 
their  swarthy  faces  flushed  purple ;  and  whilst  they  feasted 
and  made  merry,  the  captives  were  constrained  to  look  on — 
in  envy  perhaps — but  not  to  share  the  banquet. 

Hunger  fell  upon  them. 

But  the  boys  guessed  that  their  sufferings  would  only  give 
pleasure  to  their  captors,  and  so  they  kept  their  troubles  in 
this  particular  to  themselves. 

"  Tighten  your  belt,"  said  Harry  Girdwood ;  "  squeeze 
your  stomach,  Jack,  and  don't  let  these  wolves  see  that  we 
are  peckish." 

"  Not  me." 

Taking  the  hint,  Jack  drew  in  a  reef. 

The  two  young  comrades  were,  in  reality,  not  much  im- 
proved by  this  movement ;  but  they  thought  they  were,  and 
imagination  goes  a  great  way. 

But  hunger  is  an  intruder  whose  importunities  there  is  no 
denying  for  any  length  of  time,  and  so  it  fell  out  that,  in  spite 
of  their  brave  and  manful  efforts  at  keeping  up  each  other's 
pluck  and  spirit,  he  gnawed  at  their  vitals  in  a  way  which 
reduced  not  onlv  their  stamina,  but  their  spirits. 

"  This  is  to  be'our  prison,"  said  Harry  Girdwood  gloomily  ; 


1 48  JACK  HARK  A  WAY  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  I  feared  it  would  be." 

"  It  is  rather  like  the  Lethe  than  anything  else,"  said 
young  Jack,  pointing  to  the  silent  water  below.  "  If  we 
remain  here  long,  we  shall  forget  all  that  has  gone  before,  you 
may  be  sure.  This  is  the  place  to  drive  us  out  of  our  wits 
more  than  any  spot  we  could  imagine. " 

"  Rather  the  Styx  than  the  Lethe,"  said  Harry ;  "  banish 
all  hope  who  enter  here." 

It  was  indeed  a  spot  to  evoke  gloomy  reflections,  and  the 
boys  were  in  a  frame  of  mind  to  indulge  in  such. 

This  place,  they  found,  was  fixed  upon  as  the  camp  of  the 
brigands,  who  had  felt  it  imperative  to  change  their  head- 
quarters, since  they  had  positive  proof  that  their  old  strong- 
hold was  known  to  their  enemies. 

Here  they  were  not  in  danger  of  surprise,  for  their  men 
commanded  every  outlet,  and  it  must  be  a  rare  chance  to 
take  them  by  surprise. 

Within  a  couple  of  hours  of  the  arrival  there  of  the  two 
boy  prisoners  and  their  captors,  the  whole  of  the  band 
sauntered  down  in  twos  and  threes,  until  the  vast  host  that 
they  formed  fairly  amazed  young  Jack  and  his  companion. 

"  Let  us  fix  a  sum  on  them,"  said  Toro,"  so  that  their 
parents  and  friends  may  release  them  if  they  wish.'5 

This  was  approved  of  by  one  and  all  of  his  hearers. 

There  was  only  a  single  dissentient  voice. 

This  was  Hunston's. 

"  If  you  attempt  to  temporise,"  he  said,  "  you  will  be  beaten, 
for  sure." 

"  Why  ?  " 

"  Beaten  by  whom  ?  " 

"  Harkaway." 

"  Bah  !  "   ' 

"  Such  is  my  experience  of  him,"  returned  Hunston. 

"  Nonsense ;  why  shouldn't  we  make  sure  of  the  money  if 
we  can  ?  " 

"  Why  not  ?  "  said  Hunston  ;  "  if  we  can,  which  I  doubt." 

"  Harkaway  is  a  most  affectionate  parent,  I  know  well," 
said  Ymeniz  ;  "  I  have  heard  it  from  a  dozen  different 
sources.  Once  let  him  know  that  his  son  and  the  other  boy 
are  in  danger,  and  he  will  pay  any  money  for  their  release." 

"Well,"  said  Toro,  "let  us   say  five   hundred  pounds." 

"  Five  hundred  ?  " 

"  Yes." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


149 


"  Not  enough." 

"  How  much  is  five  hundred  pounds  ?  "  demanded 
Ymeniz. 

"  Twelve  thousand,  five  hundred  francs,"  replied  Toro. 

"  Very  good,  very  good ;  a  fair  sum." 

"  Is  it  not  ?  " 

"  How  shall  we  claim  it  ?  " 

This  question  was  put  to  the  assembled  council  generally, 
and  answered  eagerly  by  Hunston. 

"  Let  me  do  that  ?  " 

"  Very  good,  Hunston  ;  be  yours  that  task." 

"  But  remember  our  old  friend  Tomaso  is  still  in  the 
power  of  these  cursed  English." 

Toro  paused,  and  from  all  the  band  arose  the  unanimous 
cry — 

"  Tomaso  must  be  rescued  or  be  avenged  !  " 

Hunston  addressed  himself  to  the  business  with  consid- 
erable interest. 

It  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  go  through  the  correspondence 
which  took  place,  nor  to  dilate  upon  the  ingenious  manner 
in  which  the  letters  were  delivered  by  Hunston  or  his 
emissaries. 

With  his  wonted  shrewdness,  he  watched  for  the  result  of 
his  last  threatening  letter  himself,  and  after  making  the  most 
careful  observations,  he  descended  to  the  appointed  spot  and 
fetched  the  letter  containing  the  money. 

The  five  hundred  pounds  were  there,  in  five  Bank  of 
England  notes  of  one  hundred  each. 

"  Five  hundred  pounds,"  he  said,  his  vicious  eyes  glisten- 
ing as  he  touched  the  crisp  new  notes,  "  five  hundred  pounds ! 
Heaven,  what  a  sum  !  " 

He  looked  about  him. 

He  was  alone. 

Not  a  soul  in  sight. 

"  Why  should  I  share  it  ?  "  he  said ;  "  why  should  it  not 
all  be  mine  ?  " 

Why  indeed  ? 

Because  he  feared  his  lawless  companions. 

Nothing  more. 

"  I'll  take  up  a  hundred,  one  hundred,"  he  muttered,  half 
aloud,  "  and  this  shall  serve  a  double  purpose.  The  four 
hundred  shall  remain  mine,  and  the  one  hundred  theirs. 
But  seeing  that  they  can  get  nothing  out  of  Harkaway,  they 


1 50  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

will  be  the  more  easily  worked  upon,  and  I  shall  achieve  all  1 
want  at  one  stroke ;  a  noble  notion." 

Back  he  went,  and  then  began  a  comedy  which  Hunston 
went  through  like  a  veteran  actor,  a  comedy  that  was  destined 
to  have  a  tragic  finale. 

"  Toro,"  said  Hunston  to  the  Italian,"  to  you  I  may  speak 
as  the  leader  of  these  brave  fellows ;  also  to  you,  comrades 
in  general,  I  may  talk  without  fear  of  my  motives  being  in 
any  way  misconstrued." 

"  Speak  on." 

"  Here  is  the  reply  of  the  cold-blooded  Englishman 
Harkaway  to  my  demand  for  ransom,  and  you  are  all  my 
witness  that  I  did  not  exact  a  very  unreasonable  sum." 

"  No,  no." 

"  What  says  he  ?  " 

"  He  sends  this,"  returned  Hunston,  holding  up  a  single 
hundred  pound  note  :  "  one  hundred  pounds — two  thousand, 
five  hundred  francs — in  a  word,  one-fifth  of  the  sum  we  de- 
manded, and  with  it  a  letter." 

A  murmur  of  indignation  followed. 

"  What  does  the  letter  say  ?  "  they  demanded. 

"  He  defies  us ;  he  offers  this  sum,  but  says  that  if  the  boys 
are  not  released  before  sunrise,  he  will  come  and  fetch  them." 

"  Let  him  come." 

"  So  say  I ;  but  what  shall  be  done  with  the  boys  mean- 
while ?  " 

A  momentary  silence  followed ;  then  came  the  deep  stern 
words — 

"  Let  them  die." 

This  speaker  was  Toro. 

The  Italian's  words  were  eagerly  caught  up. 

"  Aye,  let  them  die  ;  but  when  ?  " 

"  When  you  will,"  said  Hunston  ;  "  I  care  not,  so  that  we 
are  lid  of  them.     We  see  clearly  that  there  is  no  counting  upon 
these  Harkaway  people  for  the    ransom  set  down  by  us, 
however  reasonable  our  demands  may  be." 
'  True." 

'  Then,  I  say,  let  them  die  to-day." 
'  Impossible,"  said  one  of  the  brigands,  stepping  forth. 
'  Why  ?  " 

'  Because  the  traitor,  Lirico,  is  to  die  at  daybreak ;  we 
can't  have  two  executions  so  near  to  each  other.  Let  them 
all  die  together." 


AD  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  !  p  ! 

"  Lirico,"  said  Hunston,"  and  vrhy  has  he  to  die  ?  I  haven't 
heard  in  what  he  has  offended." 

"  A  hateful  thing,"  was  the  reply  of  his  informant ;  "  Lirico 
has  offended  against  the  foundation  rule  of  the  band  " 

"  How  ?  " 

"  He  has  kept  to  himself  the  booty  he  has  gained,  and  our 
law  is  that  any  member  of  the  band  who  shall  conceal  his 
booty,  or  any  part  or  fragment  of  the  same,  to  the  prejudice 
of  his  comrades  and  fellows  shall  die  the  death  of  a  traitor." 

Hunston  was  silent. 

But  had  anybody  been  watching  him  closely  then,  they 
would  have  noticed  that  he  changed  colour. 

It  was  an  unpleasant  topic  to  tackle  the  English  ruffian 
upon,  after  all  that  had  just  taken  place. 

"  Why  so  silent,  comrade  ? "  said  an  old  brigand  named 
Boulgaris,  staring  Hunston  full  in  the  face ;  "  do  you  not  ap- 
prove ? " 

"  Of  what  ?  " 

"  Of  the  law." 

"  I — of  course." 

"  Of  course  you  do,"  said  Boulgaris  boldly ;  "  why,  you 
would  be  the  first  to  approve.  Who  could  approve  more  of 
such  a  law  than  you,  honest  Hunston  ? " 

"  Who,  indeed  ? " 

Hunston  winced  under  the  cool  scrutiny  of  the  Greek. 

Did  he  know  aught  about  what  had  taken  place  ? 

The  idea  was  utterly  absurd. 

He  (Hunston)  had  taken  too  much  care  that  he  was  not 
observed  for  any  vulgar  pryer  like  Boulgaris  to  find  a  corner 
from  which  to  spy  upon  his  movements. 

Still  it  gave  him  a  qualm. 

"  Quite  right,"  said  Hunston,  boldly ;  "  quite  right  and 
just ;  any  man  who  can  play  false  to  his  fellows  deserves  to 
die  the  death." 

"  Hear,  hear !     Let  him  die." 

"  And  the  two  boys  shall  die  with  him  ?  "  asked  Boulgaris. 

"  They  shall,  at  daybreak." 

This  was  put  to  the  assembled  throng,  and  agreed  to  by 
all,  when  suddenly  a  single  dissentient  voice  was  heard. 

"  They  shall  not  die." 

The  brigands  looked  up,  and  a  boy  appeared  upon  the 
scene,  the  boy  who  had  lured  the  luckless  lads  to  their 
present  unlucky  pitch. 


152  JA  CK  HARXA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON  '£ 

"  Theodora." 

"  Aye,  Theodvtfa,"  responded  the  boy — or  rather  girl — 
for  a  girl  it  was,  as  you  have  long  since  discovered,  although 
in  male  attire. 

"  And  why  shall  they  not  die,  Theodora  ? "  asked  Hun- 
ston. 

"  Ask  rather  why  they  should  die  ?  "  she  said  sadly. 
"  What  have  they  done  to  merit  death  ?  " 

"  Hullo,  hullo  ! "  ejaculated  Toro. 

"  Why,  whatever  is  the  meaning  of  this  change  of  tone  ?  I 
thought  that  you,  like  all  others,  were  most  eager  for  re- 
venge." 

"Why?" 

"  Why  ?  Need  I  already  remind  you  of  the  ample  cause 
for  vengeance  which  we  all  have  ? " 

"  No,"  returned  Theodora,  calmly.  "  But  those  boys  are 
innocent  of  harm." 

"Then  why  did  you  lure  them  to  their  destruction?" 

The  woman  sighed. 

"  Ah,  why  indeed  ? " 
.     "  Yes,  why  ?  " 

"  I  was  wicked,  cruel,  base,  deceptive,"  she  replied ;  "  words 
cannot  paint  my  wickedness.  But  I  was  punished  for  my 
badness  by  peril  such  as  I  have  never  yet  known  ;  and  when 
really  running  a  danger  which  I  thought  but  to  affect  the 
better  to  lure  our  destined  victims  to  their  doom,  I  was  res- 
cued from  the  grave  by  them,  by  the  very  boys — brave,  brave 
boys — whom  I  sought  to  destroy.  Now,"  she  added,  turning 
bodily  to  the  assembled  brigands,  "  can  you  ask  me  why  I 
have  changed  my  tone  ? " 

A  dozen  voices  were  heard  at  once,  and  all  uttered  differ- 
ent sentiments. 

"  These  prisoners  are  mine  by  right,"  said  Theodora,  "  for 
I  have  taken  them.  I  have  brought  them  here  ;  it  is  for  me 
to  dispose  of  them." 

Some  few  of  the  brigands  agreed  to  this ;  but  the  majority, 
overruled  by  Toro  and  Hunston,  denied  her  jurisdiction  al- 
together in  the  matter. 

The  girl  made  a  passionate  appeal  to  the  assembled 
brigands.  But  all  in  vain. 

They  were  resolved. 

It  was  put  to  the  vote,  and  the  result  was  easily  foreseen. 

Death. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  153 

Death  by  a  majority  of  voices  as  of  ten  to  one. 

"  Death  at  the  gibbet,"  exclaimed  Hunston,  triumphantly. 

"  Aye,  aye." 

"  Nay,"  cried  the  girl,  with  superhuman  energy,  "  these 
two  poor  boys  have  shown  themselves  better  men  than  most 
here  present.  See  how  they  bear  their  fate.  Be  men,  then, 
and  if  they  must  die,  let  them  die  like  soldiers." 

An  animated  discussion  ensued  on  this,  and  finally  it  was 
agreed  that  the  hapless  boys  should  die  next  morning  with 
the  traitor  Lirico. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

QUALMS — THE  EVE  OF  THE  END — A  SAD  VIGIL. 

HUNSTON  did  not  close  his  eyes  throughout  the  night. 

The  words  of  Boulgaris  rang  in  his  ear  like  a  knell. 

Lirico  was  to  die  for  concealing  a  part  of  the  spoil  which 
he  had  made. 

What  of  the  four  hundred  pounds  which  he,  Hunston, 
had  kept  back  out  of  the  sum  fixed  upon  for  the  ransom  of 
the  two  boys,  and  which  Harkaway  had  deposited  in  the 
spot  agreed  upon  ? 

He  knew  the  desperate  men  he  had  cast  his  lot  with  far 
too  well  to  suppose  for  a  moment  that  there  could  be  any 
hope  for  him  did  they  chance  to  discover  his  secret.  Would 
they? 

The  bare  possibility  of  it  made  him  shudder. 

His  hand  nervously  sought  the  hidden  notes,  which  were 
concealed  in  his  chest,  and  the  faintest  rustle  of  the  crisp 
new  paper  caused  his  cheek  to  pale. 

Once  he  dozed  off,  but  barely  were  his  eyes  closed  ere  he 
was  troubled  by  dreams  that  caused  him  to  toss  about  and 
moan  as  if  in  great  bodily  pain,  and  when  he  awoke,  ha 
dared  not  try  to  sleep  again,  so  he  arose  and  went  to  look  av 
the  prisoners. 

The  two  unfortunate  boys  were  awake,  and  talking  to  the. 
now  disconsolate  author  of  all  their  troubles,  the  disguised 
girl  whom  they  had  lost  themselves  in  saving. 

"  Hullo,  madam,"  exclaimed  Hunston,  brutally,  "  what 
do  you  do  here,  talking  with  the  condemned  brats." 


HA  RKA  WAY  AND  HIS  SON  'S 


1  5  4 

"  I  am  seeking  to  comfort  them,"  replied  the  girl  ;  "  to 
prepare  them  for  the  butchers." 

"  Butchers  ?     Humph  !  " 

"  I  mean  you  and  those  who  are  persuaded  by  you." 

"  No  matter  ;  you  had  better  leave  them  now  to  them- 
selves." 

"  At  whose  command  ?  "  demanded  the  woman,  drawing 
herself  up  proudly. 

"At  mine,"  returned  Hunston,  who  was  fast  losing  his 
temper. 

"  What,  you  dare  !  "  ejaculated  the  girl,  with  flashing  eyes. 

"  Dare  !  "  laughed  Hunston.  "  Will  you  go  away  and 
leave  the  boys  alone,  or  must  I  carry  you  away  ?  " 

The  girl's  colour  forsook  her  cheek,  and  she  drew  nearer 
to  Hunston,  and  the  latter,  startled  at  her  expression,  drew 
back. 

"  These  unhappy  boys  are  doomed  to  die  at  daybreak," 
she  said,  "  but  if  you  stay  a  moment  longer  to  molest  me 
or  annoy  them,  I  will  summon  the  men  and  tell  them  that 
you  would  insult  me  and  murder  them." 

"  It  is  false." 

"  I  know  it,"  replied  the  woman,  fiercely,  "  but  do  you 
suppose  I  would  hesitate  at  that?  And  what  would  your 
life  be  worth  ?  —  what,  I  ask  ?  Why,  they  would  wait  for  no 
explanation  ;  your  presence  here  would  be  sufficient  ;  they 
would  tear  you  asunder.  Begone,  craven  blackheart.  Go." 

Hunston  muttered  something  indistinctly,  but  he  bent  his 
head  before  the  storm  of  this  fierce  woman's  wrath  and  slunk 
away. 

She  turned  to  the  boys. 

"  My  poor  fellows,"  she  said,  tenderly,  her  manner  chang- 
ing as  if  by  magic,  "  my  unfortunate,  brave  lads,  what  can  I 
do  for  you  ?  " 

"  You  have  earned  our  gratitude,"  returned  Harry  Gird- 
wood,  "  by  the  whipping  you  gave  that  cur." 

•'  Indeed  you  have,"  chimed  in  young  Jack,  with  warmth. 

"  How  like  a  beaten  hound  he  looked,"  said  the  woman. 
"  But  how  can  I  ever  hope  to  be  forgiven  by  you  ?  " 

"  We  have  nothing  to  forgive." 

"  Aye,  but  you  have  ;  you  have  saved  my  life  and  I  take 
yours." 

"  Not  you." 

"  I  am  the  cause  of  it  indirectly." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  155 

"  Perhaps  ;  but  at  any  rate  the  innocent  cause." 

The  girl's  distress  at  this  was  painful  to  witness. 

She  had  conceived  a  great  affection  for  the  two  boys,  her 
youthful  preservers,  and  she  could  not  tell  them  how  far  she 
was  guilty. 

She  dare  not  avow  that  she  had  started  out  upon  that 
risky  trip  to  sea  with  the  intention  of  simulating  the  peril 
which  afterwards  became  too  real,  and  so  decoying  the  two 
boys  as  she  had  done. 

No  ;  she  dare  not  avow  this. 

She  had  soon  repented  of  her  share  in  that  black  business. 

Soon — aye,  but  that  soon  was  all  too  late. 

Too  late  ! 

The  thought  wrung  her  heart,  and  she  bent  her  head  and 
wept. 

"  This  is  very  painful,"  said  young  Jack. 

"  It  is  Jack,"said  his  comrade,  in  a  broken  voice.  "  I  don't 
like  to  see  a  boy  crying." 

They  were  still  ignorant  of  their  friend's  real  sex. 


"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  What  ?  " 

"  Don't  you  hear  ?  " 

"  I  do ;  it  sounds  like  some  heavy  instrument  beating  the 
earth  close  at  hand." 

"  Yes,  like  digging." 

The  three  started  at  the  word. 

No  sooner  was  it  uttered  than  the  meaning  of  it  struck  them 
all  three,  and  sent  a  chill  to  their  very  hearts. 

Digging  at  that  fatal  hour,  so  short  a  time  before  daybreak, 
could  have  but  one  significance. 

Grave-making ;  and  if  the  two  hapless  boys  quailed  at  that 
awful  sound,  can  we  accuse  them  of  cowardice  ? 

No. 

Assuredly  not. 

Who  amongst  the  bravest  could  listen  to  such  a  sound 
unmoved  ? 

To  have  been  callous  to  such  a  thing  would  have  shown 
them  mere  senseless  logs,  nothing  more. 

"  You  know  what  that  is  ?  "  she  said,  in  a  faint  voice. 

"  We  do,"  responded  Harry  Girdwood. 

"  And  you  ?  " 


156  JACK  HARK  A  WAY  AND  HIS  SOAPS 

This  was  to  young  Jack. 

"  Yes." 

The  reply  of  both  was  given  in  a  grave  voice,  befitting  such 
a  solemn  occasion. 

Yet  their  voices  never  trembled,  never  faltered. 

She  understood  them  well,  and  her  expression  showed 
clearly  as  words  the  admiration  she  felt  for  their  courage. 

"  I  am  glad  that  you  know  the  worst,"  she  said,  in  a  low 
but  impressive  tone,  "  for  the  unpleasant  task  of  telling  you 
is  not  left  for  me.  Have  you  any  thing  to  say  before " 

""No." 

"  All  that  I  would  say,"  remarked  young  Jack,  "  that  since 
they  mean  assassinating  us,  I  hope  that  they  will  do  their 
work  cleanly,  and  not  put  us  to  the  torture." 

"  At  the  worst,"  added  his  companion,  "  we  shall  not  give 
them  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  us  beg  and  pray  for  mercy.w 

"  It  would  be  useless." 

"  We  know  it." 

"  And  so  shall  not  give  them  the  chance  of  saying  that  two 
Englishmen  showed  the  white  feather." 

"  Bravely  spoken,"  said  the  girl,  "  but  the  night  is  growing 
old,  and  so  listen  to  what  I  have  to  say." 

And  then  she  made  a  communication  which  considerably 
startled  them. 

At  first  they  listened  as  though  in  a  dream,  for  they  could 
not  believe  in  the  reality  of  what  she  said,  but  they  were  not 
sorry  to  believe  in  its  truth. 

The  nature  of  this  communication  will  appear  later  on. 

"  And  now,"  she  said  solemnly,  "  the  time  is  short.  I  must 
insist  upon  your  sleeping.  Rest,  and  I  will  watch  by  yoar 
side.  A  friendly  voice  at  least  shall  call  you  for  the  last 
dreadful  trial  of  all." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE   TRIPLE   EXECUTION — A  SOLDIER'S  GRAVE — TORO'S   LUCK. 

MORNING  dawned. 

The  eastern  sky  was  only  just  tinged  with  the  light  of  the 
rising  sun  when  the  bugle  call  summoned  the  firing  party. 

The  party  in  question  was  composed  of  six  men  com- 
manded by  Hunston. 

He  had  insisted  upon  having  this  post,  one  that  none  of 
the  brigands  envied  him — so  that  he  might  gloat  over  his 
victims  at  the  last  hour. 

The  two  boys  were  aroused  with  some  difficulty,  for  strange 
though  it  may  appear,  they  were  sleeping  soundly  when  the 
fatal  moment  approached. 

"  Come,"  said  the  girl,  in  a  hollow  voice.  "  Lirico  is  al- 
ready on  the  ground." 

"  We  mustn't  be  behindhand  then." 

"No,"  added  Harry  Girdwood ;  "  they  must  see  how 
Englishmen  can  face  death." 

And  then,  led  by  the  girl  who  had,  to  her  sorrow,  brought 
them  to  this  dire  pass,  they  came  to  the  spot  where  the 
tragedy  was  to  take  place. 

Lirico,  the  traitor,  was  already  pinioned,  and  he  stood 
with  his  eyes  bandaged  upon  the  edge  of  the  grave  which 
was  shortly  to  receive  his  lifeless  body. 

Upon  either  side  of  this  was  a  newly-dug  trench  or  grave. 

One  of  these  was  for  young  Jack. 

The  other  was  for  his  stout-hearted  comrade. 

They  needed  no  telling  what  to  do  now ;  but  each  went 
through  his  part  in  the  horrible  ceremony  as  though  it  had 
been  previously  rehearsed. 

Not  a  word  was  spoken. 

The  only  signs  of  emotion  which  the  boys  exhibited  were 
when  they  silently  wrung  each  other's  hands  before  taking 
their  places  before  their  graves. 

The  girl  passed  before  each  of  the  unhappy  victims  and 
shook  them  by  the  hand  one  after  the  other. 


158  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

"  Courage,  "  she  said,  in  a  low  but  firm  voice,  "  courage, 
brave  hearts. " 

"  Bandage  their  eyes,"  said  Hunston. 

"  No ;  let  us  look  upon  our  fate,"  said  young  Jack. 

"  The  old  Harkaway  brag  to  the  very  last,"  said  Hunston, 
with  a  sneer. 

"  You  don't  like  to  look  a  Harkaway  in  the  face,  assassin  !  " 
retorted  the  boy. 

"  Fool !  "  exclaimed  Hunston,  "  since  you  want  it,  you 
shall  have  it.  Fire  at  the  middle  first.  They  can  have  an 
opportunity  of  seeing  a  real  man  die  before  their  eyes.  It 
may  give  them  a  relish  for  their  own  share  to  follow." 

The  word  was  given. 

"Ready  !  Present  !  Fire  !  " 

The  six  rifles  flashed  simultaneously. 

Then,  as  the  wounded  Lirico  was  struck,  he  bounded  into 
the  air  and  fell  back  into  the  grave — stone  dead  ! 

Hunston  stood  smiling  grimly,  even  while  the  very  men 
turned  sick  at  the  butchery  they  were  forced  to  enact. 

He,  with  fiend-like  satisfaction,  noticed  the  sickly 
pallor  of  the  two  boys'  faces,  and  it  gladdened  his  black 
heart. 

"  They  aren't  quite  so  happy  now,"  he  muttered.  "  Now  it 
is  they  suffer.  Oh,  if  Harkaway  were  here  too.  It  would 
make  me  drunk  with  joy." 

The  girl  turned  to  young  Jack. 

"  Courage,"  she  whispered,  "  courage  ;  be  bold." 

And  then  turning  to  the  firing  party,  she  said — 

"  Come,  do  not  delay.  It  is  needless  to  prolong  the  suffer- 
ings which  these  poor  boys  feel  already." 

"  Silence,  and  begone  !  "  exclaimed  Hunston  fiercely. 
"  You  have  no  right  to  speak  to  the  men." 

"  I  have  every  right,"  returned  the  woman,  boldly.  "  Si- 
lence yourself,  I  say,  and  know  your  place  !  " 

Her  voice  and  manner  half-awed  Hunston,  who  fell  back 
a  pace  or  two. 

"  My  poor  comrades,"  she  went  on,  addressing  the  firing 
party,  "  this  work  is  not  to  your  taste.  I'll  load  for  you." 

So  saying,  she  set  to  work  to  reload  the  rifles,  which  were 
piled  now. 

And  she  observed  the  very  greatest  care  in  this  task. 

"  Not  a  shot  must  miss,"  she  said  to  the  men  of  the  firing 
party,  earnestly.  "  Every  bullet  must  have  its  billet.  We 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


'59 


have  to  murder,  but  even  then  not  to  torture,  these  unhappy 
boys." 

Hunston  smiled  sardonically. 

"  How  very  tender-hearted  you  have  become,"  he  said, 
with  a  sneer  of  contempt. 

"  Silence !  "  said  the  girl,  turning  fiercely  upon  him,  so  that 
he  actually  quailed  before  her  indignant  gaze.  "  Silence,  I 
tell  you,  bully — butcher — villain — silence  ! " 

Hunston  would  have  retorted  at  this,  but  prudence  bade 
him  be  silent. 

For  the  girl  was  a  great  favourite  with  all  the  men,  and 
he  feared  that  they  might  take  up  the  cudgels  for  her  in  a 
way  which  might  be  unpleasant  for  him. 

"  So,  young  Harkaway,"  he  said,  jeeringly,  "  you  wish  to 
see  it  all  go  before  you.  It  prolongs  your  pleasure,  and  so 
I  can't  complain.  This  one  next." 

He  pointed  with  his  sword  to  Harry  Girdwood. 

The  latter  looked  deadly  pale  but  resolute. 

"  Ready !     Present !     Fire  ! " 

Young  Jack  turned  half  round,  and  saw  his  brave  comrade 
clap  his  hand  to  his  breast,  totter  and  fall. 

A  cry  rose  to  his  lips. 

But  he  stifled  it  ere  Hunston  should  have  this  small 
gratification. 

Hunston  looked  round  at  young  Jack,  and  he  positively 
bit  his  lips  with  sheer  vexation  to  find  that  he  was  unable  to 
make  the  boy  betray  the  least  sign  of  fear. 

"  You  keep  it  up  well,  boy,"  said  Hunston,  "  but  I  know 
well  that  you  are  ready  to  sink  through  the  ground  with  fear, 
nevertheless." 

"  Liar !  " 

Hunston  flushed  purple. 

But  he  kept  down  his  rage. 

"  As  you  are  going  to  die,  boy,  I  may  let  you  off  the 
birching  which  your  impertinence  merits.  You  have  all  the 
old  brag  of  your  father." 

Jack  was  silent. 

"  All  his  deceit ;  all  his  sham  and  falseness " 

The  boy  said  nothing. 

"All  his  craven-hearted,  black-hearted  villany." 

But  young  Jack  saw  through  the  other's  game  clearly 
enough. 

He  held  his  peace. 


1 60  JACK  HA RKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

He  knew  well  enough  that  the  real  way  to  enrage  the 
ruffian  was  to  appear  unmoved  at  his  taunts. 

So  when  Hunston  had  exhausted  his  expletives  and  was 
about  to  give  the  word  to  the  firing  party,  young  Jack  spoke. 

"  One  moment." 

Hunston  made  the  men  a  sign  to  ground  arms. 

The  boy  was  about  to  beg  for  mercy. 

Here',  then,  there  was  one  chance  of  wreaking  his  spite 
upon  the  lad. 

Now  he  should  be  able  to  feast  his  ears  with  the  unhappy 
boy's  piteous  appeals,  for  he  well  judged  that,  once  he  began 
to  plead  for  pity,  all  his  fortitude  would  go. 

"  Before  they  fire,"  said  young  Jack,  pale  but  resolute,  as 
his  comrade  Harry  had  just  shown  himself,  "  one  word." 

"  Go  on." 

"  I  can  speak  as  one  on  the  brink  of  the  grave,"  said  the 
boy,  "  and  so  my  words  may  be  prophetic.  Before  many 
weeks  are  over,  you  shall  kneel  and  sue  for  mercy  to  my 
father,  and  it  will  be  denied  you.  You  will  grovel  in  the 
dirt,  and  crawl  and  cringe  in  abject  misery ;  but  it  will  be 
hopeless,  and  in  the  bitterness  of  your  despair  you  will  think 
of  this  moment,  and  curse  the  hour  you  ever  molested  one 
of  my  race,  or  anyone  in  whom  we  are  interested." 

"  Ha,  ha,ha !  "  laughed  Hunston,  in  a  boisterous  and  forced 
manner ;  "  quite  a  sermon.  Preaching  is  a  new  quality  in 
the  Harkaways.  It  is  unfortunate  that  you  are  to  be  cut 
off  in  your  early  youth.  You  would  soon  bloom  into  an  odd 
mixture  of  Puritan  and  bully." 

But  he  could  not  provoke  his  victim. 

Having  said  all  he  had  to  say,  young  Jack  coolly  folded 
his  arms  and  waited  the  end  of  the  tragedy,  apparently  not 
hearing  what  Hunston  was  saying. 


"  Make  ready !     Present !     Fire  !  " 

At  the  word  was  spoken,  the  volley  was  fired. 

The  unhappy  boy — the  last  of  the  three  victims — threw 
up  his  arms,  and  fell  back  into  the  new-made  grave  yawning 
to  receive  him. 

Poor  young  Jack ! 

The  body  did  not  even  quiver  after  it  had  fallen  into  the 
grave. 

Apparently  death  had  been  instantaneous. 


AD  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  1 6 1 

u  Fill  in  the  graves   and  cover  up  the  carrion,"   said 
Hunston  ;  "  and  then  let  us  get  away  and  make  merry." 
The  girl  stepped  up  and  interposed  herself. 
'  Begone  and  leave  the  rest  to  me." 
'  To  you  ?  " 
*  Aye. " 
'  What  for  ? " 

'  It  was  so  agreed,"  said  one  of  the  men. 
'  Let  us  pray   for  them  now,"  said  the  girl.     "  Surely, 
having  destroyed  their  bodies,  you  do  not  wish  them  any 
further  harm." 

She  waited  for  no  reply,  but  falling  upon  her  knees,  was 
soon  lost  in  holy  meditation,  her  hands  clasped  fervently, 
her  head  bent  upon  her  breast. 

The  men  doffed  their  hats  reverently  and  glided  noise- 
lessly away. 

Hunston  feared  to  shock  their  superstitious  susceptibilities, 
and  so  he  followed  them  in  silence. 


For  several  hours  she  was  left  to  her  meditations. 

And  when,  some  hours  later  in  the  day,  Hunston  returned 
to  the  spot,  the  three  graves  were  filled  in. 

Over  those  of  the  two  unhappy  lads  some  pious  hands  had 
raised  a  rough  wooden  cross. 

"  The  first  to  taste  our  vengeance,"  muttered  Hunston. 

"  May  the  others  soon  follow,"  said  a  voice  at  his  elbow. 

He  started. 

It  was  Toro. 

"  This  is  the  turn  of  our  luck,"  said  the  Italian,  exultingly. 

"  I  hope  so." 

"  I  feel  it  so.  The  rest  of  the  hated  race  will  soon  follow, 
if  we  have  the  least  good  fortune." 


1 62  JA  CK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE     BRIGAND'S     RECRUIT — HUNTSON'S     PERIL — DELICATE 
GROUND. 

'WHO  is  it?" 

'  Where  ?  " 

'  Below  ;  down  that  crevasse.      Look  again." 

'  I  see  ;  it  is  Ymeniz." 

*  It  is,  it  is." 

The  speakers  were  two  of  the  brigands  who  were  plying 
their  lawless  trade ;  and  passing  along  a  mountain  ridge,  a 
short  time  after  the  execution,  they  suddenly  espied  the  body 
of  a  man  lying  flat  upon  his  back. 

Upon  his  breast  was  something  white,  which  they  could 
not  quite  distinguish. 

The  form  and  features,  however,  they  had  no  particular 
difficulty  in  recognising. 

It  was  their  comrade  Ymeniz,  they  could  see  well. 

"  He  has  fallen  down  there,"  said  one  to  the  other. 

"  It  looks  so." 

Now,  strange  to  relate,  that  although  they  said  this  to  each 
other,  they  both  had  misgivings. 

The  body  lay  in  such  a  strange  attitude. 

However,  they  soon  proceeded  to  solve  the  problem,  and 
set  all  doubts  at  rest. 

Passing  down  to  a  lower  ridge  by  a  circuitous  path  well 
known  to  them  both,  they  reached  the  bottom  of  the  crevasse. 

"  He  is  dead — murdered  !  " 

"  Hah !  " 

"  And  here,  by  all  the  powers  of  evil !  "  exclaimed  the 
brigand,"  here  is  the  confession  of  the  murderer." 

"  A  confession  !  "  exclaimed  the  brigand. 

"Yes.  Take  it,"  said  the  other,  lifting  the  paper  from 
the  blood-stained  breast  of  the  slain  Ymeniz,  "  take  it  and 
read  for  yourself." 

"  Nay,  you  know  I  am  no  scholar  ;  do  you  read  it  out  to 
me." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  163 

In  a  sonorous  voice  the  brigand  read  the  following  docu- 
ment— 

"  I,  Jack  Harkaway,  proclaim  war  to  the  knife  against  the 
murderers  of  my  boys.  The  villains  Hunston  and  Toro  will 
tell  you  all  that  I  never  threatened  in  vain.  One  of  your 
number  shall  die  daily  until  I  have  exterminated  you  root 
and  branch.  No  amount  of  precaution  upon  your  part  can 
avert  your  doom.  You  claimed  a  ransom  of  five  hundred 
pounds  for  my  son.  I  have  paid  the  sum  demanded,  and 
you  have  played  me  false  ;  therefore,  you  die.  To  the- last 
man  you  shall  perish.  You  shall  learn  to  look  forward  to 
your  fate  in  fear  and  trembling ;  and  day  by  day  the  sur- 
vivors, anticipating  their  turn,  shall  learn  to  curse  the  hour 
that  they  were  led  to  murder  my  two  innocent  boys.  Be- 
ware ! " 

The  two  brigands  looked  at  each  other  half  scared. 

"  What  of  that,  do  you  think  ? " 

The  other  looked  nervously  around  him  before  replying. 

'  It  is  grave." 

1  Very." 

'  Poor  Ymeniz  !  he  has  been  stabbed  in  the  back." 

'  No ;  here  is  the  death  wound  below  the  heart." 

1  Then  he  has  not  been  taken  by  surprise." 

'  Evidently." 

The  two  men  made  their  way  with  all  despatch  to  their 
camp,  carrying  the  paper  with  them. 

The  sensation  it  caused  is  indescribable  when  Boulgaris 
read  it  aloud  to  the  assembled  brigands. 

"  Death  to  the  Englishman  Harkaway ! "  exclaimed  one 
of  the  brigands,  impetuously. 

The  cry  was  caught  eagerly  up  by  all — save  one. 

This  one  was  Hunston. 

It  was  not  that  he  hated  Harkaway  less  intensely  than  his 
comrades  that  he  remained  silent. 

It  was  simply  that  in  his  fierce  denunciation  of  the 
brigands,  Harkaway  had  told  about  the  money. 

Lirico  was  barely  cold  in  his  grave  for  an  offence  which, 
beside  that  of  Hunston's,  was  a  mere  paltry  pilfering. 

The  secret  was  in  great  danger  now. 

If  they  should  believe  Harkaway,  then  his  (Hunston's) 
position  was  indeed  critical.  What  should  he  do  ? 


1 64  JA  CK  HA  RKA  WAY  AND  HIS  SON'S 

What  would  be  better  than  to  cast  doubt  and  derision 
upon  Harkaway's  dark  menaces. 

"  The  man  is  a  charlatan,  a  humbug,"  he  said,  curling  his 
lip  ;  "  and  his  purpose  is  more  than  accomplished  could  he 
but  know  it,  which  he  does  not,  I  am  glad  to  say.  He 
would  laugh  rarely  could  he  but  know  what  an  alarm  you 
have  taken  at  this  message." 

But  they  would  not  let  this  pass  unchallenged. 

"  It  is  no  joke,  Hunston,"  said  Boulgaris,  seriously. 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  "  demanded  Hunston,  quickly. 

"  The  death  of  Ymeniz  is  proof  enough.     That  is  no  joke." 

"  True ! " 

"  Moreover,  I  for  one  feel  sure  that  this  Englishman 
Harkaway  speaks  truly." 

"  How  ? " 

"  In  saying  that  he  gave  the  ransom." 

"  In  full  ?  " 

"  In  full." 

"  Why,  where,  then,  do  you  think  it  is  ? "  demanded 
Hunston,  with  an  assumption  of  boldness,  yet  trembling  as 
he  waited  the  reply. 

Boulgaris  answered  with  a  single  word — 

"  Stolen." 

A  murmur  ran  round  the  assembled  throng. 

"  What !  "  cried  one  of  the  brigands,  stepping  forward  ;  "  is 
it  possible  that  we  have  more  thieves  and  traitors  amongst 
us?" 

"  Never ! " 

"  Death  to  all  traitors,  say  I ! " 

"  And  I." 

"  And  I." 

And  so  the  cry  went  round  from  mouth  to  mouth. 

Hunston  trembled  for  his  very  life. 

"  Who  can  have  stolen  the  money  ? "  demanded  one  of 
the  men,  fiercely. 

"Who  but  he  who  was  charged  to  fetch  the"'  money  from 
the  old  well,  the  spot  appointed — who  but  the  comrade  that 
fetched  the  money  ?  " 

"  Why,"  exclaimed  Toro,  turning  to  Hunston,  "  then  it 
was——' ' 

He  paused. 

Hunston  turned  heartsick  as  every  eye  was  directed  to- 
wards him. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  165 

"  Never !  "  exclaimed  Hunston,  fiercely. 

This  was  a  critical  moment  for  the  latter. 

For  awhile  his  life  hung  upon  a  very  slender  thread. 

Hunston,  to  begin  with,  was  no  favourite. 

But  he  was  a  lucky  villain. 

At  the  very  moment  that  matters  were  looking  so  very  un- 
pleasant, their  attention  was  called  off  in  another  direction. 

"  Do  you  hear  that  ?     The  sentry  is  giving  the  alarm." 

They  were  all  accustomed  to  danger,  and  were  on  the  gut 
vive  ere  the  alarm  was  fairly  sounded. 

Pistols,  knives,  and  blunderbusses  were  called  into  requisi- 
tion. 

And  all  was  ready  to  give  an  intruder  a  warm  reception. 

Toro  climbed  up  a  crag  and  peered  over. 

Then  turning  to  the  men,  he  motioned  them  to  silence. 

"  Hush  !     He  comes  this  way.     Back !  " 

And  then,  at  a  sign  from  him,  every  man  glided  quickly, 
silently  off,  and  concealed  himself  behind  a  rock,  or  bush,  or 
wherever  a  favourable  place  was  to  be  discovered. 

Then  a  stumbling  noise  was  heard,  and  a  man  crept  through 
a  gap  and  hobbled  on  to  the  scene. 

He  was  a  strange,  wild-looking  fellow,  with  long  fair  hair 
and  eyebrows  almost  as  light  as  an  albino's. 

His  cheeks  were  fair,  but  much  sunburnt,  and  almost  des- 
titute of  beard. 

He  progressed  with  difficulty,  and  leant  heavily  upon  a 
staff  cut  roughly  from  a  tree,  and  from  its  green  bark  and 
slovenly-stripped  branches  only  recently  cut,  too. 

He  was  apparently  a  young  man,  and  if  he  progressed  with 
so  much  difficulty,  the  natural  inference  was  that  fatigue  and 
perhaps  illness  was  the  cause  of  it. 

He  was  dressed  in  a  very  tattered  outlandish  costume. 

He  carried  a  long  knife  stuck  in  his  waistband,  but  he  had 
no  arms  beyond  this. 

His  arms  were  bare  to  the  elbow,  and  the  left  one  was 
bleeding  from  a  flesh  wound  that  did  not  look  many  hours' 
old. 

Evidently  he  was  no  milksop,  for  although  the  wound  was 
pretty  severe,  the  only  care  he  had  taken  was  to  tie  rt  loosely 
up  with  a  strip  of  white  rag. 

Perhaps  he  had  lost  blood  and  began  to  feel  it,  for,  as  he 
drew  into  the  open,  he  dropped  heavily  down  upon  a  rocky 
seat  and  gave  a  sigh  or  grunt  of  relief. 


1 66  JA  CK  HAKKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  I'm  not  sorry  to  come  to  an  anchor." 

He  spoke  in  English. 

But  if  he  thought  to  rest  here  in  peace,  he  was  destined  to 
be  disappointed. 

Barely  had  he  stretched  out  his  legs,  when  he  was  startled 
by  a  sound  at  his  side,  and  glancing  up,  he  found  a  huge, 
black-muzzled  fellow  towering  above  him  and  covering  him 
with  a  long-barrelled  horse  pistol. 

"  Hullo  ! " 

Out  came  his  long  knife  instanter. 

"  Move  or  speak,  and  I  pull  the  trigger,"  said  the  brigand. 

"  Thank  you  for  nothing,"  said  the  stranger. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  demanded  the  brigand. 

"  Just  what  I  was  about  to  ask  you,"  returned  the  stranger, 
lightly. 

"  Whence  come  you  ?  " 

"  Precisely  the  question  I  was  going  to  put." 

The  brigand's  colour  came  and  he  grew  vicious. 

"  If  you  are  wise,  you'll  not  try  to  fool  me,"  he  said. 

"  If  you  have  any  wit,"  retorted  the  new-comer.  "  you'll 
not  come  pestering  me  with  questions ;  I'm  not  in  the  humour, 
and  when  I  am  put  out,  I'm  dangerous.  Good-morning." 

The  brigand,  rinding  he  could  get  nothing  out  of  the  eccen- 
tric stranger,  fell  back  a  pace  or  two,  and  the  latter  thought 
that  he  was  to  be  molested  no  further. 

He  was  mistaken. 

Nor  was  he  long  in  making  this  discovery. 

The  withdrawal  of  the  brigand  was  a  signal  for  a  regular 
mob  of  the  lawless  men  to  make  their  appearance. 

Every  nook  and  cranny  about  the  opening  was  guarded  by 
armed  men  ;  and  now,  when  the  cool  stranger  glanced  up- 
wards, he  found  a  dozen  rifles,  pistols  or  blunderbusses 
pointed  at  him. 

Still  he  did  not  appear  disconcerted. 

He  only  glanced  about  him  with  a  coolness  that  was  re- 
markable, and  muttered — 

"  Dear,  dear,  how  very  attentive  these  dear  boys  are." 

Before  he  could  speak  to  them,  however,  they  stepped  out 
from  their  hiding  places,  and  with  their  firearms  still  making 
him  their  target,  they  advanced  to  close  in  upon  him. 

When  he  saw  the  object  of  this  manoeuvre,  he  jumped  up 
and  plucked  out  his  knife. 

"  So,  so,"  he  cried,  "  sold,  eh  ?     Come  on,  all  of  you." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  167 

"  What  does  he  say  ? "  demanded  one  of  the  Greeks,  turn- 
ing to  Toro. 

"  He  challenges  us  all  at  once  to  fight  him." 

"  Why,  the  fellow's  mad  or  an  Englishman." 

"  Yes,"  said  Hunston,  "  an  Englishman.  That  makes  him 
feel  he  is  a  match  for  a  mob  of  Greeks,  and  I  don't  know 
that  it  is  all  madness." 

Suddenly  the  stranger  appeared  to  liven  up. 

"  What,  you  are  not  the  police,  then  ? "  he  ejaculated. 

"  Police  !  "  said  Hunston,  contemptuously  turning  round 
to  the  speaker. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  took  you  for  the  police  in  pursuit  of  me." 

"  What  have  you  been  doing  ? " 

"  Am  I  among  friends  ?  " 

"  We  are  brigands,  but  you  can  speak  freely." 

•*  Well,  then,  I  am  an  unlucky  wretch  who  has  been  forced 
to  bolt  away  from  his  master  and  his  living — and  all  for 
nothing." 

"  What  do  you  call  nothing  ?  "  said  Toro. 

"  A  trifling  peccadillo,  sir  ;  nothing  more,  I  assure  you — 
merely  a  few  pounds  and  a  paltry  bit  of  jewellery  belonging 
to  an  Englishwoman  of  the  name  of  Harkaway." 

They  all  pricked  up  their  ears  at  this  name. 

"  Hullo,  hullo  !  "  exclaimed  Toro ;  "  what  is  this  ?  Stand 
forward,  man.  Do  you  know  Harkaway  ?  " 

"  I  do — to  my  sorrow,"  replied  the  man  ;  "  he  was  my 
master." 

The  brigands  all  pricked  up  their  ears  at  this. 

"  Harkaway 's  servant,  were  you  ?  "  said  Hunston,  eagerly. 

'  I  was,  sir." 

'  And  what  may  be  your  object  in  coming  here  ?  " 

'  To  join  you." 

'  Do  you  know " 

1  Who  you  are  ?     Yes,  of  course  ;  at  least  I  can  guess  it— 
I'm  uncommon  good  at  guessing." 

And  he  chuckled  again. 

"  The  fellow's  an  idiot,"  said  Hunston. 

"  Do  you  bring  any  information  to  us  ?  " 

This  question  was  put  by  the  Italian  bully  and  brigand, 
and  to  him  the  stranger  turned  with  an  elaborate  bow. 

"  What  do  you  want  ? " 

"  To  get  hold  of  Harkaway  himself,"  cried  Toro. 


168  JA  CK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  Then  I  can  help  you  to  do  this." 

"  You  can — then  money  shall  be  yours,"  said  Toro. 

"  I  hope  so  ;  why,  I've  got  that  already  from  them." 

"  You  have  ! — much  ?  " 

"  A  pretty  lump.     Look." 

It  was  a  bag  of  money  composed  of  pieces  of  copper, 
silver  and  gold. 

It  was  a  good  round  sum,  and  it  looked  considerably  more 
than  it  was. 

"  Is  that  all  ?  " 

"  I  have  these  few  nicknacks,"  added  the  stranger,  pro- 
ducing a  bundle  tied  in  his  pocket-handkerchief. 

They  tore  open  the  bundle  eagerly  and  it  was  found  to 
contain  various  articles  of  plate,  a  silver  candlestick,  and 
some  jewels. 

"  Those,"  he  said,  pointing  to  the  latter,  "  belonged  to 
Mrs.  Harkaway,  and  I  believe  she  set  some  store  by  them — 
they  were  wedding  presents." 

"  So  much  the  better,"  exclaimed  Toro,  exultingly. 

"  So  say  I,"  added  Hunston. 

"  Is  all  this  a  fair  amount  for  a  fellow  to  bring  as  his  en- 
trance fee  ? "  demanded  the  stranger. 

"  What  say  you,  comrades  ?  "  demanded  Toro  of  the  by- 
standers. "  You  are  the  best  judges.  Shall  we  admit  this 
man  in  as  a  brother  and  a  comrade  ? " 

"  We  will,"  shouted  the  brigands. 

"  Agreed  on  all  hands  ?  "  said  the  Italian  chief. 

"  Agreed." 

It  was  answered  as  if  with  a  single  voice. 

"  Good,"  said  Toro  ;  "  do  you,  Boulgaris,  prescribe  the 
oath." 

The  oath,  which  was  administered  in  Greek,  was  not  at 
all  understood  by  the  novice,  but  he  subscribed  to  it  cheer- 
fully. 

"  You  swear  to  devote  your  life  to  the  destruction  of  your 
enemies,"  said  Hunston. 

"  I  do,"  responded  the  new  brigand,  with  fervour. 

"  Enough.     What  is  your  name  ? " 

"  Geoffrey  Martin." 

"Geoffrey  Martin,"  repeated  Toro;  "  the  name  has  a  ring 
about  it  that  I  like.  Now  understand,  the  end  of  the  Hark- 
aways  draws  near ;  one  has  already  paid  the  forfeit." 

"  Who  ? "  cried  the  stranger. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  169 

"  Two  ! "  said  a  voice. 

The  brigands  turned  and  beheld  Diana,  the  widow  of 
Mathias. 

"  Two  have  already  fallen,  for  I  myself  struck  the  wife  of 
this  hated  Harkaway  to  the  heart  with  my  dagger,"  cried  the 
fierce  woman. 

And  she  then  recounted  (as  we  have  done  in  a  previous 
chapter)  how  she  gained  admittance  to  the  Harkaway  man- 
sion, concealed  herself  in  Mrs.  Harkaway's  chamber,  and 
dealt  her  the  fatal  blow. 

To  all  this  the  brigands'  new  recruit  listened  calmly  enough. 

When,  with  an  air  of  triumph,  Diana  concluded  her  nar~ 
ration,  the  brigands  cheered  loudly. 

"  Another  of  our  hated  foes  dead.  Three  cheers  for  the 
brave  Diana!  " 

"  Certainly,"  said  Geoffrey  Martin  politely. 

And  his  voice  was  heard  in  the  general  shout. 

"  Now,  gentlemen,"  said  he,  when  silence  was  once  more 
restored,  "  allow  me  to  correct  one  very  slight  error  in  the 
statement  of  this  good  and  valorous  lady." 

"  What  is  that  ? "  demanded  Toro. 

"  Her  narrative  is  quite  correct,  with  this  little  exception — 
it  was  not  Mrs.  Harkaway  who  was  killed." 

Diana  turned  pale,  and  uttering  a  wail  of  disappointment, 
sat  down. 

Hunston,  after  venting  a  few  fearful  imprecations,  said — 

"  Then  I  hope  and  trust  it  may  have  been  the  wife  of  that 
confounded  Harvey." 

"  It  was  not,  and  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  am  rather  glad  of 
it,  for,  do  you  know  I  have  almost  fallen  in  love  with  her  ? " 

"  Cheek ! "  muttered  Hunston.     "  Well,  who  was  it,  then  ?  " 

"  You  must  know  I  was  waiting  on  them  at  the  dinner 
table,  when  Mrs.  Harkaway  expressed  a  wish  that  her  fan, 
which  she  had  forgotten,  might  be  brought. 

"  I  was  going  to  call  some  of  the  female  servants,  but 
Harkaway  himself  went  and  before  he  had  been  gone  a  min- 
ute, we  heard  him  scream  out — 

" '  Help  1     Murder  ! ' 

"  Away  rushed  Harvey  and  that  long  American  fellow, 
Tefferson.  while  Mrs.  Harkaway  fainted. 

.00?  in  a  few  minutes  the  three  came  back  with  the  news 
that  Mrs.  Harkaway's  maid — Marietta  by  name — had  been 
killed. 


170  JACK  HARK  A  WAY  AND  HIS  SOWS 

"  No  fault  of  yours,  madam,  for  the  girl  had  been  dressing 
herself  in  some  of  Mrs.  Harkaway's  clothes,  and  no  doubt  she 
looked  as  much  a  lady  as  her  mistress." 

"What  then  ?"  demanded  Diana. 

"  The  police  took  the  matter  in  hand,  and  are  now  search- 
ing everywhere  for  the  murderer." 

"  Let  them  search,"  said  Diana,  with  a  scornful  laugh. 

There  was  silence  for  a  time ;  then  Diana  asked — 

"  Did  you  hear  any  thing  of  Tomaso  ?  " 

"Yes.     He  is  condemned  to  die." 

"  When  ? "  denmanded  Toro. 

"  The  date  is  kept  secret,  so  that  you  may  have  less  chance 
of  rescuing  him." 

Toro  growled  an  oath  and  departed. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE    RECRUIT    WORKS    BRAVELY — HARKAWAY'S    VENGEANCE — 
"  HE  NEVER  FORGETS  A  DEBT." 

THE  brigands  soon  found  that  they  had  made  an  invalu- 
able acquisition  in  their  new  recruit. 

The  day  following  his  admission  into  their  honorable 
fraternity,  he  brought  in  an  addition  to  his  already  handsome 
booty. 

This  was  in  the  shape  of  a  lady's  reticule,  containing  a 
rich  prize  in  money,  and  more  jewels. 

"  I  came  across  my  late  mistress,"  said  Geoffery  Martin 
in  explanation ;  "  she  had  ventured  out  of  the  town  with  her 
new  maid,  and  so  I  fleeced  them  royally.  I  did  not  leave 
them  a  stiver  ;  moreover  I  secured  this." 

So  saying,  he  spread  out  before  them  a  newly-printed 
placard,  which,  translated,  ran  as  nearly  as  possible  in  this 
wise — 

"  FIVE  THOUSAND  FRANCS  REWARD 

Will  be  paid  to  the  police  or  to  any  private  person,  who 
will  secure,  or  give  such  information  as  may  lead  to  the 
capture  of,  one  Geoffrey  Martin,  lately  a  valet  in  the  serv- 
ice of  Mr.  John  Harkaway." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


171 


Then  followed  a  description  of  his  person,  walk,  and 
mode  of  speech. 

"The  said  Geoffrey  Martin  having  absconded  with  a 
large  sum  of  money,  besides  property  of  great  value,  it  is 
the  duty  of  every  man  to  aid  in  bringing  him  to  justice." 

He  chose  a  good  moment  for  bringing  this  paper  in. 

There  was  a  large  muster  of  the  brigands  in  camp. 

"  Five  thousand  francs  reward,"  he  said  to  his  newly-made 
comrades  generally ;  "  you  have  only  to  turn  me  over  to  the 
Harkaways,  and  you  can  make  a  small  fortune." 

"You'll  only  find  good  men  and  true  here,"  said  Hunston. 

Geoffrey  Martin  turned  upon  the  latter. 

"  All  ? " 

There  was  a  hidden  significance  in  his  tone  which  thrilled 
Hunston. 

"  I  am  glad  that  they  are  all  safe,  friend ;  by  the  way, 
what  is  your  name  ?  I  haven't  heard  it  yet." 

"  My  name  is  Hunston,  and  I'm  not  ashamed  of  it." 

"  No,  of  course  you  wouldn't  be  ;  so  you  are  Hunston  ?  '* 
he  added  reflectively. 

"  Did  you  know  my  name  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  Indeed.     Heard  your  master  speak  of  me,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  Harkaway  and  his  friend  Harvey." 

"  Harvey,"  cried  Hunston  contemptuously ;  "  a  paltry, 
frivolous  fool." 

"  Yes  ;  wasn't  he  ?    You  should  hear  him  speak  of  you." 

"  There  was  never  any  love  lost  between  us,"  said  Kun- 
ston  moodily ;  "  we  hated  each  other  most  cordially  from 
boyhood." 

"  Known  him  so  long  ?  "  said  Martin. 

"We  were  at  school  together,  and  at  college  together," 
said  Hunston. 

"  College — phew !  then  you  must  have  been  a  swell." 

"  Well,"  he  said  haughtily,  "  and  what  of  that  ?  " 

"  Oh,  nothing ;  I  was  only  thinking." 

"  What  were  you  thinking  ? " 

"  Why,  if  I  had  half  your  chance  of  getting  on  in  life,  you 
would  never  have  found  me  here." 

**  What  do  you  mean  ?  Are  you  ashamed  of  your  com- 
rades ?  " 


1 7  2  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

"  No,  no,  not  me,"  said  Martin  ;  "  but  I  should  be  if  I 
was  you.  You're  a  swell,  and  it's  an  awful  drop  for  you. 
I'm  only  a  poor  devil — a  nobody,  and  it's  a  rise  in  life  for 
me  to  join  your  honorable  company ;  give  us  your  hand." 

And  then,  before  he  could  say  yea  or  nay,  the  new  recruit 
seized  Hunston  by  the  hand  and  wrung  it  with  real  or  af- 
fected warmth. 

Hunston  strode  moodily  away,  hanging  his  head. 

This  singular  individual,  Geoffrey  Martin,  appeared  greatly 
interested  in  the  fate  of  the  unfortunate  boys,  young  Jack 
and  Harry  Girdwood,  and  he  got  Boulgaris  to  take  him  to  the 
spot  where  the  crosses  had  been  erected  over  the  graves  by 
the  pious  hand  of  Theodora,  the  girl  who  had  unwittingly 
lured  them  to  the  fatal  trap. 

"  So  here  you  have  buried  them  ? "  said  Geoffrey  Martin. 

"  Yes,  poor  boys,"  said  Boulgaris. 

"  Poor  boys,"  echoed  Martin  in  surprise,  "  poor  boys." 

"  Yes,  I  see  no  reason  for  butchering  two  children,  for 
they  were  little  more." 

The  new  brigand  eyed  the  speaker  rather  curiously. 

"  Have  you  any  pity  to  spare  for  Harkaway's  boy  ?  " 

"  And  why  not  ? "  said  Boulgaris.  "  True,  Harkaway's 
our  enemy,  and  I  hate  him  ;  I'd  like  to  get  the  upper  hand 
of  him ;  but  we  don't  want  to  fight  boys.  Besides,  Hark- 
away  is  a  good  sort  of  enemy ;  a  bold,  daring  fellow,  not  a 
sneak." 

"  No.  that  he  isn't,"  said  Geoffrey  Martin,  with  warmth. 

"  I  am  sure  he'd  never  murder  a  boy  because  the  boy's 
father  had  wronged  him." 

"  True." 

"  Besides,  there  is  something  in  this  Hunston  I  don't  like. 
We  are  bad  enough  in  all  conscience,  but  this  brutal  butch- 
ery will,  perhaps  be  the  ruin  of  our  band." 

"  Why  ? " 

"  Well,  we  were  not  loved  before  ;  but  this  brutal  deed  will 
make  us  execrated  by  the  whole  country.  The  government 
scarcely  dare  to  molest  us ;  they  are  satisfied  at  keeping  up 
a  show  of  doing  something.  But  Harkaway  is  rich  and 
powerful,  I  am  told ;  English  money  and  English  influence 
will  force  the  government  to  pursue  us,  and  all  for  what? 
Why,  for  murdering  two  helpless  children,  who  had  done  us 
no  wrong  ;  who  fell  into  a  trap  while  saving  the  life  of  one  of 
us." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE,  173 

Geoffrey  Martin  opened  his  eyes  in  astonishment 

"  Is  that  true  ? " 

"  Yes.     Didn't  you  know  the  story  ?  ° 

"  No." 

"  It  was  the  daughter  of  one  of  our  old  comrades,  that  the 
boys  saved  while  sailing.  Poor  girl !  If  prayers  and  tears 
could  move  men's  hearts,  hers  should  have  saved  the  boys." 

Geoffrey  Martin  coughed  and  blew  his  nose  loudly. 

"  Ahem  !  "  he  said,  staring  at  Boulgaris.  "  You  are  a  soft- 
hearted fellow  for  a  brigand." 

"  Not  exactly  that  either,"  replied  Boulgaris,  grinning. 
"  I  feel  incensed  at  this  deed  for  its  brutality,  and  for  expos- 
ing all  the  band  to  risks  and  dangers  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
gratifying  their  revenge." 

"  Theirs  ;  you  mean  Hunston's  ?  " 

"  No ;  for  Toro  was  interested  also  in  it." 

"  Toro,  Toro,"  muttered  Martin  ;  "  why,  the  name  sounds 
familiar  to  me.  Of  course.  They  knew  this  Toro  in  Italy, 
I  remember.  He  was  one  of  a  band  that  Harkaway  and  his 
friend  Harvey  exterminated." 

"  It  is  true,  then,  about  that  band  ?  "  said  Boulgaris,  his 
eyes  flashing  eagerly. 

"  Of  course." 

"  You  see,  then,  from  that,  what  cause  we  have  to  dread 
arousing  the  enmity  of  such  a  man  as  this  Harkaway." 

"  He  is  an  awkward  customer,  and  that's  the  fact  of  it ;  and 
I  have  heard,  my  brave  Boulgaris,  that  if  Harkaway  once 
says  he  will  have  revenge,  he  never  fails.  Now,  let's  return." 

Back  they  went  together,  and  as  they  neared  the  brigands' 
camp,  they  perceived  signs  of  some  great  commotion. 

"  What  is  the  matter  now  ?  "  asked  Boulgaris. 

"  Come  with  us,"  replied  the  first  man,  "  and  I  will  show 
you." 

They  silently  followed. 

Down  one  of  the  slopes  and  then  through  a  narrow  pass, 
and  within  five  minutes'  run  of  the  brigands'  stronghold,  they 
came  upon  a  number  of  their  men  gathered  around  a  long 
figure  stretched  upon  the  ground  and  covered  with  a  cloak. 

The  brigand  who  had  brought  them  there  silently  drew 
back  the  cloak,  and  showed  that  the  figure  was  the  corpse  of 
one  of  their  comrades  who  had  been  on  guard  there. 

"  Look,  another  of  our  men  killed.  His  death,  like  the 
first,  has  been  sudden." 


174  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

A  sure,  swift  hand  had  pinned  him  through  the  body  with 
a  long  dagger. 

It  had  pierced  his  heart,  and  the  point  of  the  blade  actually 
protruded  near  his  shoulder-blade. 

"  Look  there,"  cried  one  of  the  brigands. 

"  Where  ? " 

"  At  the  handle." 

Fastened  to  the  haft  of  the  dagger  was  a  slip  of  paper,  upon 
which  were  these  words — 

"  Remember  Harkaway  never  forgets  an  injury" 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE    VILLA   AGAIN — A   MESSAGE   FROM   THE   ENEMY'S  CAMP — 
HOW   A    SNARE   WAS    LAID. 

HARVEY  carried  his  project  into  execution,  and  went  off, 
leaving  Mrs.  Harvey  and  Mrs.  Harkaway  under  the  impres- 
sion that  he  was  going  about  the  vessel,  and  making  prepara- 
tions generally  for  their  departure. 

They  were  one  and  all  anxious  to  be  gone  from  the  place, 
which  was  for  evermore  associated  in  their  minds  with  the 
mishaps  of  the  last  few  days. 

When  Harvey  had  been  absent  forty-eight  hours,  they 
grew  anxious. 

But  on  the  morning  of  the  third  day,  Nabley  the  detective 
came  with  a  message  from  Dick. 

He  had  met  him  by  appointment  and  brought  news. 

There  was  something  in  Nabley's  face  which  made  Hark- 
away  anxious  to  see  him  alone. 

"  Now  tell  me,  Nabley,"  he  said,  eagerly,  "  tell  me  all. 
How  is  Harvey  ?  What  does  he  say  of  the  boys  ?  What 
is  he  doing  ?  Has  he  any  plan  of  action  decided  ?  " 

"  Gently,  Mr.  Harkaway,  gently,"  said  the  detective ;  "  you 
overpower  me." 

"  Oh,  Nabley,  I  say " 

"  There,  there  !  don't  be  impatient.  I'll  give  it  all  out  as 
fast  as  ever  I  can." 

"I  don't  want  all,"  interrupted  Jack  Harkaway,  passion- 
ately. "  How  are  my  boys  ?  Answer  that.  Are  they  safe  ? 
No,  no  !  I  read  it  in  your  face." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


I7S 


And  then  he  dropped  heavily  into  a  chair,  looking  the 
picture  of  misery  and  despair. 

Nabley  had  scarcely  a  word  to  say  for  himself. 

The  sight  of  the  brave  Harkaway  so  utterly  collapsed  was 
more  than  he  could  endure. 

Jack  rallied  a  little  and  turned  again  to  Nabley. 

"  Well,  quick,  tell  me  the  news." 

And  then,  as  Nabley  still  stammered,  he  went  on — • 

"  I  know  ;  save  your  breath.  I  knew  it ;  poor  boys  !  poor 
Harry  and  my  poor  brave  boy  Jack." 

"  Dick  Harvey  bids  you  keep  your  courage  up,"  said  Nab- 
ley ;  "  not  to  be  downcast.  It  is  quite  time  enough  to  be 
down  upon  our  luck  when  we  find  out  that  the  worst  is  true. 
The  boys  may  yet  live." 

"  No,  no,"  cried  Jack ;  "  I  fear  my  poor  boys  are  no  more." 

"  Let  us  hope  they  still  live,  but  meanwhile,  Mr.  Harvey 
has  treated  the  brigands  as  though  the  worst  was  true." 

"  How  ? " 

Nabley  made  a  significant  gesture  with  his  right  arm  as 
though  stabbing  violently  at  some  unseen  enemy. 

"  What,  the  brave  Dick  seeking  and  taking  revenge  ? " 
exclaimed  Jack. 

"  Yes.  Two  of  the  Greek  brigands  have  fallen  by  his  hand. 
The  rest  will  follow,  be  sure  of  that ;  and,  moreover,  they 
never  suspect  whose  hand  has  dealt  the  blow." 

"  Not  suspect !  " 

"  No,  his  game  has  been  and  will  continue  to  be  picking 
them  off  in  single  file.  He  meets  one  of  them  alone,  and 
Harvey  makes  sure  of  him  by  his  own  strong  right  arm." 

"  Oh,  brave  Harvey,"  said  Jack. 

"  Yes,"  said  Nabley,  "  it  is  revenge.  An  eye  for  an  eye, 
a  tooth  for  a  tooth ;  and  I  for  one  should  like  to  see  the  whole 
gang  food  for  kites  and  wolves." 

"  You  have  suffered  in  losing  your  old  comrade,"  said  Hark- 
away  ;  "  judge,  then,  if  you  so  keenly  feel  the  loss  of  a  friend, 
what  must  I  feel  for  my  boy — my  own  flesh  and  blood." 

"  Yes,"  said  Nabley  ;  "  I  have  suffered,  but  I  will  yet  have 
a  bitter  revenge  on  my  poor  pal's  murderers.  He  was  to  me 
a  brave  and  true  friend.  Poor  Pike  !  he  was  foully  assassin- 
ated." 

"  Yes,  Nabley ;  he  was  cowardly  shot  by  the  villain  Toro. 
But  do  the  brigands  know  who  is  now  taking  revenge  on 
them  ?  " 


176  JACK  HA RKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

"  Yes ;  it  is  told  them  in  black  and  white.  A  paper  fixed  to 
each  carrion  carcase  tells  that  this  is  another  proof  of  Hark- 
away's  vengeance." 

Jack's  face  flushed  crimson  at  these  words. 

"  Well  done,  Dick ;  well  done,  brave  old  boy,"  he  muttered ; 
"  well  done ! " 

"  And  he  tells  me  that  they  are  in  a  rare  state  about  it  in 
the  camp.  It  has  thrown  all  the  lot  of  them  into  the  greatest 
consternation.  Hunston  has  grown  very  unpopular.  It  needs 
very  little  upon  Harvey's  part  to  make  sure  of  him." 

"  That's  brave." 

"  Now  he's  growing  ambitious.  One  at  a  time  no  longer 
satisfies  him,  so  he  has  a  scheme  for  bagging  half-a-dozen  of 
the  brigands  at  once." 

"  How  ? " 

"  You  know  the  spot  that  the  boys  christened  the  fig-tree 
grove." 

"  I  do." 

"  He  pretends  to  have  intercepted  a  letter  (when  he  "  stole  " 
the  money  and  jewels  I  took  him  by  way  of  keeping  up  ap- 
pearances), which  informs  him  that  one  of  your  party — a  Mr. 
Hardy,  or  Harpy,  he  pretended — would  be  passing  through 
the  fig-tree  grove  this  evening,  with  money,  on  a  journey  of 
some  importance.  As  this  Hardy  or  Harpy  is  a  dangerous 
person,  the  brigands,  on  Harvey's  advice,  are  to  send  six  of 
their  best  men  on  the  business." 

Harkaway's  eyes  twinkled  again  at  this. 

"  Now,"  said  Nabley,  "  we  must  bait  the  trap  well.  I'll 
be  the  bait." 

"  You  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  But  why  should  you  have  so  dangerous  a  post  ?  " 

"  I  prefer  it,"  said  Nabley,  quietly; "  besides,  although  alone, 
I  shall  have  some  staunch  and  valuable  friends  with  me." 

"  You  speak  in  paradoxes,  Mr.  Nabley." 

The  detective's  reply  to  this  was  to  draw  his  two  hands 
from  his  coat-pockets,  and  in  each  hand  there  was  a  six- 
shooter. 

"  Here  are  twelve  lives,"  said  the  detective,  "  and  I've  six 
more  in  here,"  tapping  his  breast. 

"  You're  a  regular  arsenal,"  said  Harkaway.  smiling.  "  But 
supposing,  when  you  raise  your  hands,  they  close  upon  you 
and  ransack  your  pockets." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


177 


"  I  have  no  need  to  withdraw  my  hands  to  use  them.  I 
fire  through  the  pockets." 

They  must  have  been  made  with  something  of  this  intention, 
for  they  were  cut  in  the  side  seams  of  the  coat  which  were 
exceedingly  roomy. 

"Well,  well,"  said  Harkaway,  jumping  up,  "when  do  we 
get  to  work  ? " 

"  Now." 

"  Now  ? " 

"  There  are  no  preparations  to  make.  Let  Mr.  Jefferson 
be  sent  for.  Both  of  you  get  your  arms  ready,  and  follow 
me." 

"  Good.     What  arms  ?  " 

"  Short  axe,  in  case  of  close  work,  and  rifle  each.  You'll 
be  more  than  a  match  for  six  Greeks.  Besides,"  he  added, 
with  a  significant  smile,  "  I  shall  not  be  idle." 

"  Well,  well ;  away  with  you,"  cried  Jack ;  "  I  am  all  eager- 
ness to  be  at  work.  I  shall  be  quite  another  man  when  I  have 
had  a  brush  with  these  beasts." 

"  Right,  sir,"  cried  the  detective ;  "  they  will  find  a  power- 
ful foe  in  you." 

"  Yes,  Nabley,"  cried  Jack,  "  my  arm  is  nerved  for  this 
fight,  and  it  shall  go  hard  with  me,  but  I  will  have  my  revenge 
on  those  Greek  devils  for  the  murder  of  my  poor  boys." 

The  door  opened  and  Jefferson  entered. 

"  The  very  man ! "  exclaimed  Harkaway. 

"  What,  Nabley ! "  said  Jefferson.  "  What  news  of 
Harvey?" 

"  Mr.  Harkaway  will  tell  you  all,"  answered  the  detective  ; 
"  my  time's  up.  Follow  me  as  quickly  as  you  can.  " 

"  Off  with  you,"  said  Harkaway,  growing  quite  excited  at 
the  prospect  of  a  brush  with  the  enemy. 

"  The  fig-tree  grove,"  said  Nabley. 

"  Understood." 

And  off  went  the  detective. 

"  Jefferson,"  said  Jack,  "I  am  now  about  seeking  my  foes, 
and  fear  not  but  I  will  render  a  good  account  of  my  actions, 
for  against  the  brigands  I  feel  the  strength  of  a  giant." 
12 


178  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOAPS 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

WHEREIN  MR.  MOLE  PHILOSOPHISES  AND  HAS  AN    ADVENTURE 

THE    SCENT     OF    BATTLE — MOLE    THE      TERROR    OF    THE 

BRIGANDS — ISAAC  THE   ANNIHILATOR — MOLE'S   PRISONER. 

IT  must  not  be  supposed  that  Isaac  Mole  was  idle  all  this 
time. 

He  heard  of  the  bold  doings  of  his  friends  Harkaway, 
Harvey  and  Jefferson,  not  to  speak  of  the  valuable  aid  of 
Nabley  the  detective,  and,  figuratively  speaking,  his  very 
soul  panted  for  glory. 

"  I  feel  I  could  conquer  by  my  single  hand  half-a-dozen 
brigands,"  said  Mole  to  himself ;  "  but  still  I  should  prefer 
to  come  across  a  sleeping  brigand.  But  ah,  me  !  "  there  he 
sighed  deeply,  "  brigands  are  as  rarely  caught  asleep  as 
weasels. " 

Poor  old  Mole's  desire  to  distinguish  himself  in  this  mat- 
ter was  very  great. 

The  plain  truth  was  that  poor  Isaac  was  at  times  badly 
henpecked. 

On  these  occasions  he  would  assume  his  most  dignified 
deportment  and  point  to  his  wooden  legs. 

"  There  are  proofs,  Mrs.  Mole,"  he  would  say,  "  that 
Isaac  Mole  never  shunned  the  foe  in  his  life." 

"  Yah,  yah  !  "  his  spouse  would  gracefully  smile  in  reply, 
"  dat  no  fault  ob  yours,  Ikey  Mole ;  de  ignorant  critters  took 
off  your  legs  because  you  so  often  lost  your  legs  before." 

'  Lost  them  before  ?  " 

'  Yes. " 

'  Before  they  were  amputated,  do  you  mean  ?" 

'  Yes. " 

'  Why,  Mrs.  Mole,"  and  he  would  draw  himself  up  to  his 
full  height,  "  you  have  been  surely  indulging  in  strong  waters." 

"  No,  sar ;  no,  Ikey  Mole,  not  dis  gal,  sar.  You  lose 
your  legs  continual  and  your  head  too,  sar,  with  strong 
waters — sperrits,  sar,  sperrits." 

Poor  Mole,  he  was  no  match  for  her,  and  could  only 
turn  for  consolation  to  where  he  had  ever  thought  to  drown 
dull  care. 

The  bottle. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


179 


Mrs.  Mole  one  day  surprised  him  at  a  sly  tipple  in  the 
grounds  of  the  villa,  and  he  knew  it  to  his  sorrow. 

Suddenly  popping  round  the  corner,  Chloe  emptied  the 
contents  of  a  pail  over  his  luckless  head. 

"  Thar,  you  teetottler !  you  banderhoper,  you  good  templar ! 
Take  a  leetle  tiddy  drop  of  water  with  your  rum ;  makes 
lubly  grog  well  mixed,  yah,  yah  !  " 

And  then  the  amiable  partner  of  his  joys  and  sorrows 
bore  off  her  empty  pail,  leaving  her  husband  to  dry  and 
shiver. 

"  Philosophy,  my  dear  Mole,"  said  the  worthy  Isaac  to 
himself,  "  philosophy  is  your  physic ;  think  of  Socrates 
and  be  at  ease — ugh !  It's  precious  damp — too  much  water. 
I  must  have  an  extra  drop  to  keep  the  cold  out." 

And  up  went  that  inexhaustible  bottle  again. 

"  Ha  !  Massa  Ikey  !  "  said  a  terrible  voice  close  at  hand, 
"  you  want  some  more  water  to  mix  with  it,  do  you  ? " 

Mole  clutched  his  bottle,  jumped  up,  and  rushed  wildly 
to  the  house,  with  his  loving  spouse  after  him  with  another 
pail  of  water. 


From  that  time  Mole  scarcely  dared  have  a  suck  at  his 
bottle  within  half  a  mile  of  the  house. 

One  afternoon,  having  dined  early,  Mole  went  for  a  walk 
in  the  suburbs  of  the  town,  and  selecting  a  favourable  spot, 
he  reclined  gracefully  and  dropped  off  into  a  gentle  slumber. 

How  long  he  slept  he  never  knew  until  this  hour. 

All  he  knew  was  that  he  dreamt  that  he  was  the  hero  of 
some  gallant  adventures,  wherein  the  Greek  brigands  fell  be- 
fore his  sword  like  corn  before  the  reaper's  sickle ;  yea,  as 
the  phantom  miscreants  succumbed  to  the  onslaught  of  Don 
Quixote. 

Now,  while  he  slept,  a  man  crawled  out  of  the  thicket 
upon  all  fours  and  looked  eagerly  about  him. 

The  singular  part  of  this  incident  was  that,  although  the 
sleeping  Mole  was  within  six  feet  of  the  spot,  he  did  not 
perceive  him. 

Mole  was  partly  hidden  by  the  thickly-grown  bushes. 

The  man  dragged  himself  painfully  on  ;  he  was  badly  hurt. 

One  of  his  legs  was  broken,  and  he  carried  no  less  than 
three  pistol  bullets  in  his  body  ;  in  short,  it  was  little  less 
than  marvellous  that  he  was  able  to  crawl  at  all- 


1 8  O  JACK  HA  RKA  WAY  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

The  history  of  this  miserable  wretch  is  soon  told. 

He  had  been  shot  down  by  the  unerring  aim  of  Nabley 
the  detective,  and  feeling  himself  badly  hurt;  he  had  sought 
safety  in  flight  while  there  was  yet  time. 

Dragging  his  wounded  body  into  the  thickly-grown  copse, 
he  had  lain  hidden  from  sight,  baffling  the  keenest  search ; 
and  here  he  had  presently  lost  consciousness. 

Loss  of  blood  and  anguish  had  rendered  the  hapless  wretch 
powerless  to  help  himself,  and  knowing  well  what  little 
mercy  he  had  to  expect  from  the  Englishmen  did  they  come 
upon  him,  had  lain  there  in  fear  and  trembling  at  every  sound 
Until  hunger  was  added  to  his  other  torments. 

He  was  nearly  blinded  with  a  blow  he  had  received  on  the 
face,  and  now  h>s  only  hope  was  to  be  able  to  crawl  along 
until  he  came  up  with  some  of  his  comrades,  who  would  help 
him  to  regain  their  stronghold  in  the  mountains. 

"  Oh  ! "  he  groaned,  "  a  blight  upon  the  hand  that  struck 
me  down.  Oh  !  " 

And  the  violence  of  his  pains  made  him  give  a  deep  groan. 

Mole  moved. 

Then  opened  his  eyes ;  and  waking,  his  glance  fell  upon 
a  ghastly  looking  obeject,  pale  and  bloody,  dragging  itself 
along. 

Coming  towards  him. 

Mole  gasped. 

This  was  real,  he  knew  at  once  ;  there  was  no  doubt  about 
that. 

It  was  one  of  the  Greek  brigands,  who  had  seen  him 
asleep,  no  doubt,  and  was  about  to  do  for  him. 

Poor  Mole. 

Cold  beads  of  perspiration  stood  upon  his  brow. 

A  channel  of  sweat  trickled  down  the  small  of  his  back. 

His  very  wig  stood  up  on  his  scalp  with  terror. 

What  should  he  do  ? 

Alas !  it  would  soon  be  all  over  with  him. 

The  ghastly  object  crawled  on. 

A  minute  more  and  the  wretched  man  would  be  up  with 
him. 

Now,  poor  old  Mole  had  on  occasions  been  what  is  called 
pot-valiant. 

He  sought  his  black  bottle  for  Dutch  courage  ;  but  before 
he  could  raise  it  to  his  bloodless  lips,  the  wounded  man  per- 
ceived him,  and  he  gave  a  cry  of  terror. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  181 

"  Keep  off !  "  cried  Mole,  his  teeth  rattling  like  a  box  of 
dominoes. 

The  wounded  man,  half  blind  as  he  was  and  frightened 
out  of  what  little  sense  remained  to  him,  took  the  black 
bottle  for  another  revolver  such  as  Nabley  had  carried  ;  and 
having  a  wholesome  dread  of  that  terrible  weapon,  he  cowered 
down,  hiding  his  face  on  the  ground. 

"  Don't  be  violent,"  exclaimed  the  wretched  Mole. 

"  Mercy,  mercy  !  "  implored  the  brigand. 

"  Have  pity  on  me,"  said  Mole,  in  abject  terror. 

"Do  as  you  please  with  me,"  whined  the  brigand,  "only 
for  mercy's  sake  don't  fire  again  at  such  a  poor  wretch  as  I 
am." 

"  Think  of  my  helpless  condition,"  said  Mole. 

"  I  am  done  to  death,"  said  the  brigand. 

"  I  have  two  wooden  legs,"  gasped  Mole. 

"  Do  what  you  will  with  me,"  cried  the  brigand,  in  despair, 
"  only  give  me  water — a  drop  for  mercy's  sake." 

And  he  prostrated  himself  in  abject  submission  before  the 
half  dead  Mole. 

Now  the  latter  could  not  well  misunderstand  this  attitude  ; 
but  yet  he  could  scarcely  believe  the  evidence  of  his  senses. 

"  What's  his  game  ?  "  thought  Mole ;  "  he  is  trying  the 
artful  dodge  on  ;  and  he's  going  to  jump  up  and  give  me  one 
for  myself — not  for  Isaac.  By  jingo  !  What  a  topper  I 
could  give  him  as  he  lays  there,  what  a " 

He  stopped  short. 

"  My  eye !  what  a  hole  he  has  got  in  his  head  already." 

And  then  by  degrees,  in  spite  of  his  fears,  he  was  forced 
to  see  that  this  piteous  object  was  not  dangerous. 

As  Mole  rose  up  to  look  at  the  brigand,  the  latter  made 
still  more  signs  of  submission,  and  now  he  could  no  longer 
misunderstand. 

It  is  difficult  to  say  which  feeling  filled  Mole  most  com- 
pletely, surprise  or  satisfaction. 

"  Oh,  oh,"  cried  Mole ;  "  I  feel  that  my  heart  tells  me  I 
have  great  courage.  Yes,  I  will  capture  this  desperate  brig- 
and with  my  own  brave  hands." 

Here  was  a  slice  of  luck. 

"  I'll  just  drive  him  home,"  said  the  crafty  Isaac  to  himself, 
"  and  then  see  if  Chloe  will  dare  to  cheek  me  as  she  has 
done  of  late.  I  rather  flatter  myself  I  shall  take  it  out  of 
Harkaway  and  Jefferson  themselves." 


182  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

First,  though,  he  meant  to  have  one  more  suck  at  the 
black  bottle. 

But  now  again,  to  his  intense  surprise,  at  the  sight  of  the 
bottle,  the  wounded  man  cowered  and  shrank  back  in  terror. 

"  Mercy,  mercy,  great  captain,"  he  implored  ;  "  as  you  are 
Strong,  be  merciful." 

"  What  does  he  mean  ? "  muttered  the  astonished  Mole. 

"  Don't  fire  again,"  cried  the  wounded  man  feebly ;  "  I 
never  hurt  one  of  your  friends.  I  am  not  responsible  for  the 
two  boys'  death.  It  was  done  without  my  will,  for  I  don't 
war  with  boys  or  women ;  ah,  how  I  suffer." 

"  Don't  fire  !  Why,  what — ah,  I  see  it ;  he  takes  the  bottle 
for  a  pistol.  "  March  on  then,"  he  said  in  a  terrible  voice  ; 
"on  with  you,  or  I'll  fire." 

"  Don't,  don't !  mercy  !  " 

"  March  on  then,  or  I'll  blow  you  to  atoms,"  and  he  pre- 
sented the  black  bottle  again. 

The  Greek  held  up  his  hands  in  supplication  and  moved  on. 

"  Go  on  ! "  thundered  Mole. 

"  I'll  be  your  slave,  your  abject  slave,"  groaned  the  brig- 
and ;  "  but  oh,  great  warrior,  captain,  spare  my  life." 

"  I'll  eat  you  alive,"  hissed  the  cannibal  Mole  in  his  ear, 
"  if  you  don't  walk  faster." 

"  I  will,  I  will." 

"  Faster  still,  or  you  die." 

"  Pity,  pity." 

"  Bah ! "  said  the  fierce  Isaac,  contemptuously, "  why  should 
I  have  pity  on  you  after  killing  a  score  of  your  fellows  with 
my  own  hand  ?  Answer  me  that." 

The  other  was  silent. 

In  this  way,  the  valiant  Mole  drove  the  miserable  wretch 
to  the  villa. 

When,  after  a  long  and  wearisome  journey,  they  got  within 
a  stone's  throw  of  the  grounds  of  the  house,  Mr.  Mole  was 
suddenly  startled  to  hear  a  loud,  shrill  cry  of  alarm,  and  who 
should  appear  before  them  but  Mrs.  Mole  herself? 

"  Whateber  hab  you  there,  Ikey  ?  "  she  demanded. 

"  A  prisoner,  my  dear,"  responded  Mole. 

"  A  what  ?  "  she  exclaimed  ;  "  whose  prisoner  ?  " 

"  Mine." 

"  Yourn  ? " 

"  Pardon  me,  my  dear — yours,  not  yourn.  Yes,  my  prisoner," 
he  added  modestly ;  "  I  have  captured  him." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  183 

«  Where  ? " 

"  In  the  wood/ 

"  What  you  doing  there,  Ikey  ? " 

"  I  was  on  the  hunt.  I  came  across  them — five,  and  a 
little  warm  work  went  forward.  The  other  four,"  he  added 
significantly,  "  I  have  left  on  their  backs,  with  a  pretty  decent 
sign  of  my  handiwork  upon  all  of  them." 

Chloe  gasped. 

"  You're  a  drefful  man,"  said  Chloe ;  "  and  I'll  run  for 
Massa  Harkaway." 

And  she  dashed  down  the  garden,  crying  out  for  Hark- 
away  and  Jefferson,  and  goodness  knows  who  besides. 

They  were  ever  upon  the  qui  vive  for  danger,  so  down  they 
came  with  a  rush. 

"Why,  Mr.  Mole,"  exclaimed  Jefferson,  "you  have  in  deed 
got  a  prize." 

"  However  did  you  manage  it  ?  "  asked  Harkaway,  not  a 
whit  less  startled. 

Mole  coughed. 

"  I  felt  that  something  was  required  of  me,"  he  answered, 
with  touching  dignity  and  modesty  combined,  "  and  so  I  went 
on  the  hunt  myself,  and  I  fell  foul  of  a  few  of  the  Greek 
vampires." 

"  A  few,"  echoed  Jefferson,  elevating  his  eyebrows ;  "  a 
few,  you  said." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Mr.  Mole,  "  only  five." 

"  Not  more  ?  "  said  Jefferson,  laughing ;  "  then  you  must 
have  felt  rather  bad  in  the  inside." 

"  Never,  sir,"  said  Mole,  getting  more  and  more  dignified ; 
"  but  I  left  the  enemy  rather  unhappy,  in  the  inside  and  the 
outside." 

"  Indeed ! " 

"This  is  the  only  survivor  out  of  five;  question  him 
closely." 

Mole  had  carefully  ascertained  that  the  wounded  Greek 
didn't  speak  a  solitary  word  of  English. 

"  Ask  him,  I  say,  what  I  did  for  his  comrades ;  how  I  larded 
them — how  I  peppered  them,  and  made  them  cry  peccavi. 
Damme,  Jefferson,  old  boy,  you  should  have  seen  me  in  ac- 
tion ;  gad,  sir,  I'm  like  an  old  war-horse  at  the  first  sniff  of 


184  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

corner  pin  and  make  a  royal  every  go.     What  do  you  think 
of  that,  Harkaway  ? " 

Old  Jack  smiled. 

"  I'm  not  proficient  enough  in  skittles  to  appreciate  the 
feat,"  he  answered. 

"  And  so  you  tackled  all  this  lot  single-handed?" 

"  Yes." 

"  How  many  ?  " 

"  Ten." 

"  I  thought  you  said  five." 

"  Ten,  sir,  ten  in  all ;  five  came  up  at  first,  but  in  as  many 
moments  they  were  all  on  their  backs  ;  and  then  up  came  an- 
other five  of  them,  each  heavily  armed.  I  never  forget ;  hang 
it !  I  couldn't  forget  such  a  job  as  that  very  easily.  Five 
of  the  second  lot  fell  at  my  first  fire ;  I  toppled  over  three 
more,  and  the  other  one " 

What  Mr.  Mole  might  in  his  ardour  have  been  tempted  to 
draw  for  upon  his  glowing  fancy,  it  is  impossible  to  say,  for 
just  as  he  reached  this  point  in  his  fanciful  narration,  up 
came  Nabley. 

"  Hullo  1 "  he  said,  as  he  caught  sight  of  the  wounded  brig- 
and ;  "  here's  the  missing  man. " 

"  This,"  cried  the  rest  of  the  people  present  as  if  with  one 
voice. 

"  Yes,  this  is  the  man  I  shot  down  at  my  first  fire  ;  he  must 
have  crawled  away  to  hide  ;  why,  where  is  Mr.  Mole  running 
to?" 

The  imaginative  old  gentleman  suddenly  vanished  from 
the  scene. 

He  did  not  relish  the  presence  of  such  a  witness  as  this. 

"  This  is  Mr.  Mole's  prisoner,"  said  Jefferson,  laughing ; 
"  you  see  he  has  brought  in  one,  after  all." 

"  I  bring  you  something  better  even  then  prisoners,"  said 
the  detective. 

"What  is  that?" 

"  Good  news." 

"  Speak ;  what  is  it  ? " 

"  The  brigands  have  given  up  Hunston." 

Harkaway  started  at  the  words. 

"  That  is  news,  indeed,"  he  said ; "  and  now  justice  demands 
that  the  villain  shall  speedily  hang." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

TOE  FIG-TREE  GROVE — A  DOUBLE  AMBUSCADE — THE  LEECH- 
FISHER — HOW  THE  TRAP  WAS  BAITED,  AND  HOW  IT  TOOK — 
SOMETHING  LIKE  THE  OLD  FORM — TRIUMPHANT  MARCH 
OF  HARKAWAY  AND  CO. 

WITHIN  an  hour — nay,  less — of  the  foregoing  conversation 
you  might  have  seen  an  aged  man  wending  his  weary  way 
along  the  high  road  from  Athens  towards  the  mountains. 

Thickly-grown  fig  trees  leant  over  the  road,  and  their  well- 
garnished  branches  formed  a  roof  of  foliage  through  which 
no  ray  of  sunlight  could  penetrate. 

He  seemed  an  aged  man. 

His  steps  tottered. 

It  was  strange  that  he  did  not  seek  the  aid  of  a  stout  staff, 
or  walking  stick  at  least. 

But  no,  he  preferred  to  keep  his  hands  in  his  coat  pockets. 

Now  the  coat  he  wore  was  a  full-skirted  frock,  much  re- 
sembling in  shape  the  garment  which  was  worn  by  our  grand- 
fathers, or  their  fathers,  when  George  the  Third  was  king, 
with  huge  pockets  in  the  skirts  and  lappets. 

And  into  these  big  pockets  the  old  wanderer's  arms  were 
buried  up  to  the  elbows. 

Perhaps  it  was  because  he  felt  somewhat  chilly. 

There  was  a  gentle  breeze  blowing  through  the  trees. 

As  he  went  along,  he  shot  sly  glances  from  time  to  time 
about  him,  almost  as  if  he  were  expecting  someone ;  but  he 
had  got  nearly  over  a  third  of  the  distance  down  the  fig-tree 
grove  before  there  were  the  faintest  signs  of  life  about  him, 
and  there,  apparently  overcome  by  the  fatigue  of  his  walk, 
he  dropped  down  upon  a  moss-grown  bank  to  rest. 

He  looked  up  at  the  leafy  canopy  overhead,  and  sniffed 
down  the  sweet  odours  that  floated  along  on  the  gentlest  of 
zephyrs. 

"  Not  such  bad  quarters,"  he  muttered  to  himself  (it  was 
in  English  that  he  spoke)  ;  "  not  at  all  bad.  There  is  only 
one  thing  required  to  make  this  the  happiest  day  of  my  life  ; 
only  one  thing,  and  that  is,  success  in  my  present  undertak- 
ing  " 

He  paused. 


l86  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  Hark  ! " 

What  was  it  ? 

He  heard  a  faint  rustling  in  the  foliage  hard  by. 

This  part  of  the  country  was  reported  to  be  infested  with 
thieves,  the  regular  hunting  grounds  of  the  brigands. 

A  faint  smile  lurked  round  the  corners  of  the  old  man;s 
mouth,  and  there  was  a  twinkle  in  his  eye. 

"  At  last,"  he  muttered  to  himself,  "  at  last ! " 

Just  then  there  was  a  noise  as  of  branches  being  pushed 
aside  and  dry  twigs  being  crushed  ;  and  forth  stepped  a  stal- 
wart peasant,  all  in  rags  and  tatters,  and  placed  himself,  hat 
in  hand,  before  the  old  man. 

"  Hullo !  "  exclaimed  the  latter,  "  why,  where  did  you 
come  from  ? " 

And  yet  his  surprise  looked  more  assumed  than  real. 

"  Charity  !  "  replied  the  beggar. 

"  Charity  !  "  echoed  the  old  man,  fumbling  in  his  pockets, 
"  by  all  means ;  take  this,  my  honest  fellow." 

So  saying,  he  dropped  a  piece  of  money  into  his  open 
palm. 

"  Gold !  Yes,  a  golden  piece,  by  all  the  saints  in  the  calen- 
dar." 

The  beggar's  eyes  glistened  greedily  at  the  piece. 

"  Heaven  bless  you  !  "  he  exclaimed  ;  "  may  you  live  for 
ever." 

"  Don't  wish  me  that,"  responded  the  old  man ;  "  that  is  no 
blessing." 

"  Not  with  your  riches  ? "  said  the  mendicant. 

"  No." 

"  You  are  not  easily  satisfied  then." 

And  then  came  forth  from  the  beggar  a  strange  sound. 

Was  it  a  signal  ?, 

It  almost  appeared  to  be  the  result  of  a  preconcerted  ar- 
rangement, for  while  the  sound  of  his  laughter  echoed  down 
the  leafy  grove,  there  was  a  crashing  of  branches  and  gen- 
eral breaking  of  the  dried  twigs  and  undergrowth,  and  out 
swarmed  a  group  of  men  numbering  perhaps  ten  or  a  dozen. 

A  villanous-looking  mob  they  were  too. 

They  surrounded  the  old  man  and  were  about  to  attack 
him,  when  the  first  man  who  had  already  profited  by  the  old 
man's  charity  warned  them  off. 

"  There  is  no  need  for  violence  here,"  said  he,  hurriedly, 
and  speaking  in  their  native  language ;  "  he  will  give  us 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  iby 

up  all  he  has  got  without  so  much  as  dirtying  a  knife  ovef 

I'M 

him." 

The  old  man  laughed. 

A  dry,  cynical  laugh  it  was  too,  and  almost  calculated  to 
make  one  believe  that  he  had  understood  what  they  said. 

*'  Who  are  these  people  ? "  he  asked  of  the  first  beggar. 

"  Poor  men  worthy  of  your  pious  charity,  like  myself," 
was  the  reply. 

"  Then  they  shall  have  it,"  replied  the  old  man  ;  "  more 
than  they  expect." 

He  looked  around  him  rather  anxiously,  as  if  expecting 
some  more  people  to  arrive. 

Now  that  glance  was  observed  by  more  than  one  of  the 
men,  and  it  was  no  very  difficult  matter  to  excite  suspicion  in 
their  minds. 

"He  expects  someone,"  said  the  foremost  man  of  the 
party ;  "  he  is  a  spy." 

"  See  how  he's  looking  about  him,"  observed  another. 

"  What  shall  we  do?" 

«  Kill  him  at  once." 

«  Yes,  kill  him." 

"  On  to  him." 

And  the  speaker  himself  was  the  first  to  act  upon  his  own 
counsel. 

He  stepped  forward  to  catch  the  old  man  by  the  coat,  but 
the  latter,  retreating  a  couple  of  paces,  appeared  startled. 

"  Keep  your  distance,  my  masters,"  he  said  ;  "keep  youf 
distance,  because  I  am  a  very  dangerous  fellow." 

They  laughed  at  this. 

"  Dangerous,  you  are  ?  "  cried  one  of  them,  "  oh,  oh  1  whaf 
is  your  name  ?  " 

"  Why,  they  call  me  the  leech-fisher." 

«  The  leech-fisher ! " 

«  Yes." 

"What  for?" 

"  Because  I  am  my  own  trap  and  bait  and  all" 

'*  They  looked  puzzled. 

«  He's  mad." 

"  Daft  as  he  can  be." 

"  Poor  old  fool.  But  let  us  get  his  money  if  he  has  any, 
without  killing  him." 

"  Money  !  "  echoed  the  self-styled  leech-fisher.  "  Here's 
plenty." 


iS3  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

And  with  these  words  he  threw  a  pile  of  gold  pieces  upon 
the  ground,  making  all  the  lawless  ruffians'  eyes  glisten 
greedily. 

"  You  don't  seem  yet  to  understand  the  parable  of  the 
leech-fisher,"  said  the  singular  old  man.  "  You  are  dense 
blockheads." 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  hear  him,"  cried  the  first  beggar.  "  He  is 
quite  a  treat." 

"  What  I  meant  was  that  I  am  a  trap  for  you.  I  have 
set  myself  to  catch  you  ;  I  am  the  bait ;  the  leech  fishers  are 
their  own  bait,  I  am  my  own.  So  now  come  on,  my  merry 
men,  my  unbelieving  pagans." 

One  of  the  men  here  laid  a  rough  hand  upon  his  shoulder, 
when  there  was  a  loud  explosion. 

A  flash  and  smoke  issued  from  the  old  man's  square  coat 
pocket,  and  the  brigand  staggered  back. 

The  rest  of  the  party  looked  utterly  amazed. 

What  was  it  ? 

"An  ambuscade,"  ejaculated  one  of  them. 

"  No,  no ;  it  came  from  the  old  man's  coat  skirt.  See,  it  is 
smoking." 

There  was  a  small  round  hole  in  the  cloth,  and  it  was 
singed  and  smelt  of  gunpowder. 

"  Death  to  the  spy !  "  cried  the  Greeks. 

Two  of  the  brigands  fell  upon  him,  one  on  each  side,  when 
lo  !  there  was  a  double  explosion,  and  with  loud  cries  of  pain, 
each  fell  back  dead. 

The  rest  of  the  brigands  now  began  to  recover  from  the 
state  of  stupefaction  into  which  this  sudden  and  unexpected 
attack  had  thrown  them,  and  accustomed  to  rapid  action 
upon  emergencies  such  as  the  present,  they  prepared  to  fall 
simultaneously  upon  this  ancient  Tartar. 

"  Oh,  oh  !  What,  you  think  to  capture  me,  do  you  ?  "  he 
cried. 

In  an  instant  all  his  feebleness  had  dropped,  and  lo !  he 
appeared  a  very  nimble  man. 

Springing  back  about  six  feet,  he  drew  both  hands  from 
those  capacious  pockets  to  which  we  recently  drew  the 
reader's  attention,  and  then  the  mystery  was  revealed. 

Each  had  held  a  six-barrelled  revolver. 

"  How  like  you  my  music,  you  ruffians  ?  "  cried  the  strange 
man.  "  Oh,  what  would  I  give  if  my  poor  friend  Pike  was 
with  me  now  ! " 


AD  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  1 89 

Bang! 

Another  shot,  and  another  hors  de  combat. 

The  foremost  of  the  brigands  rolled  over,  stone  dead. 

This  was  warm  work. 

But  as  if  it  had  not  grown  hot  enough,  there  suddenly 
appeared  upon  the  scene  two  men  armed  with  rifles  and  re- 
volvers. 

These  two  men  were  crack  shots,  unluckily  for  the  brig- 
ands, and  they  speedily  gave  proof  of  their  skill. 

Two  of  the  mountaineers  bit  the  dust  before  they  could 
dream  of  helping  themselves. 

Not  three  minutes  had  elapsed  since  the  firing  of  the  first 
shot,  and  already  six  men  were  down. 

"  Surrender !  "  said  one  of  the  new-comers,  in  a  loud, 
authoritative  voice. 

But  instead  of  responding,  one  of  the  Greeks  drew  a  pistol 
and  levelled  it  at  the  towering  figure  of  Harkaway,  for  of 
course  he  was  one  of  the  marksmen,  but  before  he  could 
pull  the  trigger,  bang  went  another  chamber  of  the  old  man's 
revolver,  and  the  pistol  fell  to  the  ground. 

The  hand  which  had  held  it  was  helpless,  the  arm  shat- 
tered at  the  elbow. 

There  was  in  truth  something  dreadful  in  this  carnage. 

But  neither  Harkaway  nor  Jefferson  thought  any  thing  of 
this. 

Indeed,  horrible  as  it  may  sound,  they  killed  a  brigand 
with  as  little  compunction  as  they  would  have  slaughtered 
a  wolf. 

"  Surrender ! "  cried  Harkaway,  for  the  second  time. 
"  Yield  now,  or  by  Heaven,  you  shall  all  die  on  the  field." 

The  Greeks  looked  around  for  assistance. 

They  were  five. 

The  enemy  only  three. 

As  a  rule,  these  ruffians  were  not  deficient  in  bulldog 
courage  and  ferocity,  but  this  desperate  fighting  had  sur- 
prised and  frightened  them. 

"  Yield,  ruffians,  to  better  men  than  yourselves." 

They  paused. 

"  To  pause  is  death,"  cried  Jack  Harkaway,  in  a  loud  voice. 

As  the  last  word  was  spoken,  up  went  the  two  rifles. 

"  Nabley,"  cried  the  American. 

"  All  right,"  answered  the  disguised  old  man. 

"  Look  after  that  outside  brigand  on  your  left." 


190  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  I  will,  and  his  neighbour,  too  ?  " 

"  If  you  can." 

"  I  am  thinking  of  my  murdered  friend,  Pike,  and  I  feel  I 
can  take  twenty  such  vagabonds  ! "  echoed  the  detective, 
fiercely. 

"  I'll  take  that  big  fellow,  Jeff,"  said  Harkaway.  "  You 
pot  the  other." 

"  Good." 

*'  Now,  then,  you  villains,  when  I  count  three,  look  out," 
said  the  detective,  with  a  mild  expletive. 

Not  mild  enough  for  repetition  here,  by  the  way. 

"  One,  two " 

The  brigands,  having  held  a  hurried  consultation,  here 
threw  down  their  arms. 

Just  in  the  very  nick  of  time. 

Two  seconds  more  and  they  would  have  had  no  chance. 

"  Now,"  cried  Harkaway,  still  with  the  gun  ready  for  use, 
"  forward  !  march  !  " 

The  brigands  looked  mischievous  for  a  moment. 

So  did  the  rifles. 

So  did  the  revolver. 

These  two  weapons  were  great  persuaders. 

With  slow,  unwilling  steps  the  five  men  marched  onward 
into  captivity. 

"  I'll  see  to  the  wounded,"  said  the  detective. 

Four  of  the  brigands  had  been  killed  outright. 

Others  were  writhing  on  the  ground  and  using  bad  lan- 
guage. 

"  Two  and  four  make  six,"  muttered  Mr.  Nabley ;  "  six 
and  four  are  ten.  Why,  I  could  have  sworn  that  there  were 
eleven.  Yes,  certainly  there  was  another.  Where  the  deuce 
could  he  have  got  to  ?  " 

The  most  diligent  search,  that  is,  the  most  diligent  search 
possible  under  the  circumstances,  failed  to  find  the  faintest 
trace  of  the  missing  man. 

"That's  the  one  I  gave  that  smack  in  the  face,"  said 
Nabley  to  himself.  "  Well,  I  know  I  gave  it  to  him  pretty 
warm  besides  that.  He  hasn't  got  far.  He  has  crawled 
somewhere  to  die,  I  suppose.  Well,  well,  I  can't  deny  him 
that  little  luxury." 

And  then,  by  dint  of  threatening  the  wounded  with  instant 
death,  he  persuaded  them  to  crawl  after  the  rest. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


191 


And  when  our  three  adventurers  marched  into  the  town 
with  their  prisoners  between  them,  there  was  a  loud  outcry. 

Cheers,  bravos,  huzzahs,  at  every  step  of  the  way. 

"  That's  the  Englishman  Harkaway,"  said  one  of  the  by- 
standers, as  they  marched  onward  towards  the  prison, 
"  and  that  is  the  American  Jefferson." 

"  Dreadful  men  those  to  make  enemies  of.  I  have  heard 
that  Harkaway  has  destroyed  hundreds  of  brigands  and 
pirates." 

"  Yes,  I  have  heard  so,"  answered  the  other.  "  It  was  an 
evil  moment  for  those  villains  of  brigands  when  they  shot 
the  poor  young  Harkaways.  They  will  lose  many  a  life  for 
those  two." 

"  Ah,  that  they  will." 

"  Who  is  that  driving  the  two  wounded  men  before  him  ?  " 

"That  is  an  English  secret  police  officer.  He  is  even 
more  dangerous  than  the  others.  He  has  killed  four  men 
with  his  own  hands  in  this  skirmish.  I  believe  an  old  friend 
of  his  has  been  murdered  by  the  brigands,  and  he  has  sworn 
to  have  revenge." 

"  It  is  taking  the  law  into  their  own  hands  with  a 
vengeance." 

"  All  honour  to  them  for  their  bravery." 

"  Three  cheers  for  Harkaway  I " 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE  SECRET  WORK  GOES  ON — WHO  IS  THE  TRAITOR? — THE 
FALL  OF  A  FAVOURITE — THE  RECRUIT'S  MUSINGS — A 
STRANGE  REVELATION. 

IT  was  true. 

Hunston  had  been  given  up  by  the  brigands. 

They  knew  but  little  of  Harkaway,  but  that  little  told  them 
that  he  was  not  the  man  to  make  a  false  assertion. 

They  felt  sure  that  Hunston  had  received  more  money  for 
the  ransom  of  the  boys  than  he  had  acknowledged,  and  so 
they  voted  his  doom. 

Under  ordinary  circumstances  he  would  have  been  shot. 

As  it  was,  they  had  learnt  so  terribly  to  r«snect  Harkaway 


192  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOW'S 

that  they  gave  up  his  enemy  in  preference  to  taking  the  law 
in  their  own  hands. 

Not  a  day  passed  but  one  or  more  of  the  brigands  suffered 
at  the  hands  of  the  enemy  whose  revenge  they  had  so  un- 
wisely provoked. 

Let  them  go  armed,  with  a  support  of  armed  men  within 
easy  call  and  on  the  watch,  it  could  not  avail  them. 

They  were  picked  off,  slowly,  surely,  quietly,  mysteriously. 

And  this  was  the  chief  reason  that  they  sought  to  negotiate 
with  the  Harkaway  party  by  giving  up  their  enemy  Hunston. 

But  still  the  work  went  on. 

There  was  only  one  man  in  the  whole  band  who  had  the 
courage  to  lay  the  facts  before  them. 

"  We  must  move  away  from  this  part  of  the  country,"  he 
said.  "  Once  let  us  see  how  matters  turn  out  with  our  com- 
rades who  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  these  English  people, 
and  then  we  must  be  gone." 

But  while  they  waited  more  fell. 

Several  got  taken  prisoners,  and  the  band  presented  a 
very  thin  appearance. 

The  day  of  trial  approached  for  the  brigands,  of  whom 
Hunston  was  one. 

And  the  verdict  was  universally  foreseen. 

They  were  condemned  to  death  for  the  murder  of  the  two 
boys,  Harry  Girdwood  and  young  Jack. 

In  five  days  they  were  to  be  executed. 

In  the  court  there  was  one  person  who  heard  the  sentence 
with  the  greatest  possible  terror. 

This  was  Theodora. 

Why  should  it  so  affect  her  ? 

It  was  surely  not  that  she  could  have  any  sympathy  with 
such  rogues  and  murdering  villains. 

Justice  was  swift  in  the  execution  of  its  decrees  here,  and  the 
condemned  brigands  were  doomed  to  death  within  five  days. 

"  Five  days  !  "  Theodora  repeated  to  herself  again  and 
again,  as  she  left  the  court.  "  Five  days  !  So  short.  Well, 
then  I  must  my  do  duty  come  what  may.  To-morrow  may  yet 
be  in  time — or  the  next  day." 

Still  she  was  sorely  perplexed. 

"  If  I  avow  all,  I  shall  incur  the  undying  enmity  of  the 
band,"  she  reasoned  ;  "  and  if  I  keep  silent,  I  shall  be  the 
murderess  of  those  men — men  with  whom  I  have  grown  up 
and  been  taught  to  look  upon  as  brothers." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


'93 


She  had  some  strange  secret  upon  her  mind  which  troubled 
her  sorely. 

In  her  dire  perplexity  she  went  to  the  camp,  and  did  her 
best  to  excite  the  men  to  an  effort  on  behalf  of  their  imper- 
illed comrades. 

Pedro  listened  to  all  she  had  to  say. 

Then  he  gave  his  opinion. 

"  We  are  clearly  bound  to  make  an  effort  to  save  our 
friends,"  he  said ;  "  we  can  not  let  our  comrades  peris.h  with- 
out attempting  to  save  them." 

"  No,  no  !  "  answered  the  brigands,  with  one  voice. 

But  perhaps  the  most  demonstrative  of  all  was  the  last 
recruit  who  had  joined  the  brigands — the  Englishman,  known 
amongst  his  new  comrades  as  Geoffrey,  the  discharged  serv- 
ant of  Harkaway. 

"  When  shall  the  attempt  be  made  ?  "  said  Pedro ;  "  that 
is  the  next  question." 

"  At  once,"  said  Toro. 

He  looked  around  for  some  supporters  ;  but  he  looked  in 
vain. 

Toro  was  no  longer  in  good  odour. 

His  connection  with  Hunston  had  rendered  him  exceed- 
ingly unpopular. 

He  was  too  daring  a  spirit  for  them  to  break  out  into  open 
murmurs,  but  quietly  he  was  deposed  ;  and  then  Pedro  was 
admitted  as  leader. 

When  the  question  of  giving  up  Hunston  to  the  enemy 
was  first  mooted,  Toro  had  violently  opposed  it ;  but  his  was 
the  one  solitary  voice  that  was  lifted  for  his  old  comrade. 

"  The  only  chance  of  success,"  suggested  Pedro,  "  is  to 
wait  and  attack  the  procession  on  the  way  to  execution. 
The  prison  itself  is  too  well  defended  for  us  to  hope  for  suc- 
cess." 

"  That's  true,"  said  Geoffrey ;  "  and  failure  would  ruin 
them." 

"  Surely." 

It  was  arranged  consequently  that  the  attempt  should  be 
made  upon  the  day  appointed  for  the  execution. 

The  utmost  secrecy  should  be  kept  as  to  their  plans. 

"  Let  not  a  word  be  breathed  of  our  resolves  anywhere." 
said  Pedro,  "  unless  we  are  all  together  in  council  assembled, 
for  I  fear  that  we  have  had  a  traitor  in  our  camp." 

"  A  traitor  !  " 
13 


194  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  Aye." 

"  One  or  more  ? " 

"  One,  at  least,  would  not  surprise  me  after  all  that  has 
occurred." 

"  Nor  me  either,"  said  Geoffrey. 

Saying  which,  he  glanced  significantly  over  his  shoulder 
in  the  direction  of  Toro. 

The  latter,  on  the  rejection  of  his  plan,  had  stalked  mood- 
ily away,  and  was  walking  up  and  down  buried  in  bitter  re- 
flections. 

"  Hah ! " 

"  If  I  could  believe  that  possible,"  exclaimed  one  of  the 
brigands,  "  it  would  be  a  speedy  end  of  his  rule  here." 

Saying  which  he  drew  his  long  dagger  significantly. 

"  Well,  well,"  said  Geoffrey,  who  acted  cautiously,  and  was 
satisfied  at  having  unsettled  their  minds  with  regard  to  the 
Italian  bravo,  "  let  us  seek  the  traitor,  and  when  found " 

He  left  the  rest  unsaid;  but  they  knew  well  what  was 
meant. 

The  only  person  quitting  the  camp  was  Lerna. 

So  that  no  traitor  could  well  carry  the  news  to  the  enemy 
this  time. 

"  Let  no  precaution  be  neglected,"  said  Pedro ;  "  we  must 
choose  trusty  sentinels.  I'll  take  the  watch  at  the  gap  my- 
self." 

"  Good." 

"  Geoffrey." 

"  Present,  captain." 

Toro  gave  a  start  at  that  reply,  which  clearly  gave  the 
death-knell  to  his  own  command. 

"  Do  you  mount  guard  at  the  cross  roads  below." 

"  Leading  to  the  fountain  avenue,  do  you  mean,  captain  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  Good." 

And  shouldering  his  musket,  he  gave  a  stiff  salute  and 
marched  off. 

"  Perhaps  you  would  not  have  far  to  look  for  traitors," 
said  Toro,  as  Geoffrey  disappeared, "  did  not  your  prejudices 
blind  you." 

"  Do  you  allude  to  Geoffrey  ? "  asked  Pedro,  coldly. 

"Judge  for  yourself." 

"  Speak  out  boldly." 

*'  I  have  been  bold  enough  for  you,"  said  Toro,  passionately. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


'95 


•'  Speak  in  the  presence  of  him  you  would  accuse." 

"  I  fear  no  man  here,"  cried  Toro. 

"  Nor  does  any  man  fear  you." 

"  Then  by  thunder,  he  shall ! "  and  out  came  his  sword. 

At  this  unmistakable  demonstration  several  of  the  brigands 
made  signs  of  cutting  in,  and  the  Italian  saw  that  it  was  a 
desperate  game  he  was  venturing  on. 

He  saw  it  just  in  time,  for  the  brigands  were  ready,  one 
and  all,  to  fall  upon  him  with  dagger  and  sword. 

Gradually  he  fell  back  and  left  them,  but  the  seed  was 
sown. 

The  few  words  which  Geoffrey  had  spoken  had  done  their 
duty  well. 

"  So,  so,"  muttered  Geoffrey,  as  he  went ; "  Hunston  is 
done  for,  and  Toro  shall  soon  follow.  Thirty-two  men  have 
been  '  dropped '  for  our  dear  boys — thirty-two.  Gad  !  but  it 
is  a  goodly  number.  They  will  learn  to  respect  the  name  of 
Jack  Harkaway  in  this  miserable  land — and  to  rue  the  day 
that  they  molested  anyone  of  us.  Thirty-two — aye,  and  the 
rest  shall  follow,  as  sure  as  my  name  is — Who  goes  there  f 
Speak  !  By  Heaven,  stop !  Nabley — just  in  time,  but  silence/ 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

THEODORA'S  ERRAND — FATAL  NEWS — THE  MYSTERY  DEEPEN? 
— -HER  RESOLVE — TO  THE  VILLA — INTERVIEW  WITH  HARK- 
AWAY — THE  VOICE  FROM  THE  GRAVE — A  HEART  OF  GOLD. 

THEODORA  now  made  her  way  with  all  speed  to  the  water- 
side prison,  to  which  allusion  has  been  previously  made. 

The  head  gaoler  of  this  prison  had  a  daughter  of  the  same 
age  as  Theodora. 

His  wife  had  nursed  them  both  as  babes,  and  Theodora 
looked  upon  them  as  her  parents,  and  on  the  girl  as  her 
sister. 

To  them  she  was  wont  to  appeal  at  any  time  of  trouble, 
and  now  she  came  to  tell  them  her  cares. 

She  asked  for  her  foster  sister,  and  called  her  aside. 

"What  is  it  now,  Theodora  dear?"  asked  the  gaoler's 
daughter,  anxiously.  "  You  look  quite  pale  and  haggard." 

Theodora  shook  her  head  sadly. 


196  JA  CK  HA  RKA IV.  I  Y  AND  HIS  SON  S 

"  I  have  got  involved  in  a  matter  in  which  I  am  respon- 
sible." 

"  But  the  evil  is  over  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  As  far  as  you  are  concerned,  is  it,  dear  ?  " 

"  No  ;  I  say  no.  Are  not  our  men  to  be  executed  for  the 
murder  of  the  two  boys  ? " 

"  And  richly  they  deserve  it,"  exclaimed  Mariana. 

"  No,  no.  They  can  not  deserve  it  for  what  they  are  inno- 
cent of." 

"  It  is  no  fault  of  theirs,"  retorted  the  gaoler's  daughter ; 
"  They  are  guilty  in  intention,  at  least." 

"  Well,  well,  Mariana.  I  am  not  so  base  that  I  could  see 
them  suffer  death,  knowing  what  I  know — what  we  know,  in 
fact." 

"  But  you  would  not  betray  me  ? "  exclaimed  the  gaoler's 
daughter,  anxiously. 

"  No,  darling.  The  necessity  for  danger  to  you — to  us,  I 
may  say — is  entirely  done  away  with." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  The  gallant  men  will  rescue  their  comrades  on  Thursday 
on  the  way  to  the  execution." 

"  What !  "  said  Mariana ;  "  Thursday  !  " 

"Yes." 

"  Then  you  don't  know,"  she  exclaimed,  with  a  wild  scared 
look. 

"  Know  what  ? " 

"  That  it  has  been  changed.  They  are  to  be  executed  in 
the  morning." 

Theodora  gave  a  cry  of  terror  and  staggered  back. 

'  No,  no,  Mariana,"  she  said,  wildly  ;  "  it  is  impossible." 

'  It  is  true  " 

'  When  was  this  made  known  ? " 

'Just  now." 

'  Why  was  it  altered  ? " 

'  Because  they  have  discovered  that  an  attack  was  medi- 
tated by  the  brigands  upon  the  way  to  execution  on  Thursday." 

"  Impossible  !  "  cried  Theodora,  starting  up.  "  Why,  it  was 
only  just  agreed  upon.  I  have  left  them  not  two  hours  ago, 
and  it  was  then  that  they  came  to  this  resolution." 

"  It  is  already  known  here.  A  messenger  from  the  great 
Mr.  Harkaway  sought  the  governor  with  the  news,  and  as  Mr. 
Harkaway  is  all-powerful  here,  the  execution  takes  place  to* 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  !97 

morrow  morning  at  .daybreak.  It  is  said  that  he  has  his  own 
spies  in  the  camp  of  the  brigands." 

Theodora  clapped  her  hands  to  her  head,  and  paced  wildly 
up  and  down. 

"  There  is  no  way  out  of  it,  dear  Mariana,"  she  cried.  "  No 
way,  no  way,  but  one." 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  I  will  see  this  Mr.  Harkaway,  and  tell  him  all." 

"  But  you  will  ruin  us  all." 

"No.  He  will  be  overjoyed  with  the  news  I  bring,  and 
will  do  as  I  wish — all  I  ask  to  repay  me  for  the  words  of  com- 
fort which  I  have  for  him." 

"  I  doubt  it." 

"  I  know  him  well,"  retorted  Theodora.  "  I  know  his  boys 
too  well  to  believe  the  father  so  bad  and  merciless  as  you  sup- 
pose him.  All  his  enmity  would  be  forgotten  could  he  but 
believe  the  glad  tidings  which  I  have  for  him." 

"  Then  the  knowledge  of  this  will  risk  all  our  lives." 

"No;   I  am  convinced  that  all  will  be  well." 

"  Theodora ! " 

"  Delay  me  not.     My  duty  points  clearly  to  that." 

And  before  she  could  offer  to  interfere  further  with  her 
resolve,  Theodora  was  gone. 

She  fled  like  a  deer. 

Nor  did  she  pause  for  breath  until  she  was  at  the  villa. 


"  Mr.  Harkaway  will  not  see  anyone,"  said  the  servant. 

She  eyed  the  panting  girl  with  suspicion,  as  Theodora  leant 
for  support  by  the  door,  while  her  left  hand  clasped  her  beat- 
ing heart. 

The  tragic  events  of  the  past  few  weeks,  and  the  murde; 
of  Marietta  in  Mrs.  Harkaway's  bedchamber,  had  led  them 
to  distrust  every  body  and  every  thing. 

*'  I  must  see  him,"  gasped  Theodora. 

"  Impossible,"  returned  the  girl  curtly ;  "  call  to-morrow  in 
the  afternoon." 

"Afternoon,"  returned  Theodora.  "  After  six  in  the  morn- 
ing will  be  too  late.  It  is  life  and  death,  I  tell  you.  Go  and 
tell  him." 

"  Obstinate  girl,  I  tell  you  Mr.  Harkaway  has  serious  busi- 
ness on  at  daybreak,  and  has  gone  to  rest,  giving  the  strictest 
orders  that  he  is  not  to  be  disturbed." 


1 98  JA  CK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  Call  him,"  returned  Theodora,  with  forced  calmness,  "  and 
he  will  have  no  need  to  go  on  this  business  at  daybreak." 

"  Hah !  " 

"  Do  you  hear  ?  " 

The  girl  retreated  backwards,  never  moving  her  eyes  from 
Theodora. 

"This  is  some  hired  assassin,"  she  thought.  "They  can't 
tackle  my  master,  and  knowing  how  wary  he  is,  they  have 
hired  a  girl  to  do  the  deed." 

She  was  about  to  thrust  to  the  door,  when  Theodora,  in 
sheer  despair,  burst  in,  and  cried  at  the  top  of  her  voice  to 
Harkaway — 

"  Mr.  Harkaway !  Mr.  Harkaway ;  come,  come  and  hear 
news  of  your  poor  boys,  I  say." 

At  this  wild  outcry  in  the  middle  of  his  house,  Jack  stepped 
out  of  his  room. 

"  Keep  back,  sir ;  keep  back,"  screamed  the  servant. 
"  She's  an  assassin." 

At  these  words  Harkaway  slipped  back  into  his  room,  and 
reappeared  armed  with  a  pair  of  pistols. 

"  Now,  what  is  it  you  require,  my  girl  ? "  he  demanded  of 
Theodora. 

"  A  few  words  with  you." 

"  Don't  trust  her,"  shrieked  the  servant ;  "  I  saw  a  knife  in 
her  girdle.  Don't  trust  her." 

Thedora  smiled  faintly. 

"  I  am  alone,  unarmed,"  she  said ;  "  the  great  Mr.  Hark- 
away,  the  hero  of  the  day  here,  is  surely  not  afraid  of  me." 

"  I  am  afraid  of  no  one,"  returned  Jack ;  "  but  I  warn  you, 
my  girl,  that  if  any  treachery  be  meditated,  each  of  these 
pistols  carries  a  man's  life." 

"  It  can  not  affect  me,"  returned  Theodora,  calmly.  "  I 
come  to  bring  you  news  which  will  gladden  your  heart,  and 
have  no  fear  of  your  enmity." 

Her  words  and  her  manner  thrilled  Harkaway  strangely. 
He  lowered  the  pistols. 

He  had  her  shown  into  a  room,  and  followed  her  in. 

"  Sit  down  there,  my  girl,  and  tell  me  all,"  he  said,  trying 
to  appear  composed,  while  he  was  in  reality  singularly  moved. 

"  I  come,  Mr.  Harkaway,"  said  Theodora,  who  had  now  re- 
gained all  her  calmness,  "  to  bring  you  the  most  welcome  news 
that  ever  gladdened  your  ear — that  ever  sent  balm  and  com- 
fort to  your  bruised  heart." 


AD  VEN TURES  IN  GREECE.  1 99 

Jack  turned  pale  ;  he  thought  he  had  heard  her  speak  of 
his  boys  before  leaving  his  room. 

"  Speak  on,"  he  said,  his  voice  faltering. 

"  Tell  me,  sir,  what  could  I  say  that  would  restore  happi- 
ness to  you — to  your  wife — to  your  friends  and  home  ?  What 
could  I  say  to  lift  the  veil  of  mourning  from  your  house 
and  hearts  ? — to  restore  the  former  gaiety  to  this  tomb-like 
place." 

Jack  Harkaway  listened  as  one  in  a  dream. 

"Girl,"  he  said,  in  a  voice  that  was  almost  inaudible,  "you 
know  not  what  you  say." 

"  I  am  perfectly  cognisant  of  all,"  she  replied. 

"  Then  your  errand  here  is  to  torture  me  ? " 

"  You  wrong  me." 

Harkaway  looked  her  sternly  in  the  face. 

And  Theodora  bore  his  glance  without  flinching. 

"  Your  manner  tells  me,"  he  said,  "  that  you  know  better 
than  any  one  what  alone  could  restore  happiness  here." 

"  You  are  right." 

And  she  gravely  inclined  her  head  as  she  answered. 

"  And  you  know  it  is  impossible,"  he  said. 

"It  is  not." 

"  Not  impossible  ! "  ejaculated  Harkaway.  "  Know  you 
what  you  say  ?  " 

"  Perfectly." 

"Girl,  girl,"  cried  Harkaway,  passionately,  "the  grave  can 
not  give  back  its  dead." 

"  It  does— it  has." 

Harkaway  gasped  for  breath. 

She  was  about  to  speak  on,  when  the  ghastly  pallor  of  his 
countenance  and  its  wild,  haggard  expression  frightened  her. 

"  Girl,  go  on,  tell  me,"  he  cried  excitedly ;  "  do  not  play 
with  me." 

"  Calm  yourself,  Mr.  Harkaway,  pray " 

"  Go  on,  go  on." 

"  You  alarm  me." 

"  Speak,  in  mercy's  sake,"  implored  Harkaway  ;  "this  sus- 
pense is  ten  thousand  times  worse  than  all  the  good  or  bad 
news  which  you  could  bring  me— are  you  fooling  me  ? "  he  ad- 
ded springing  up  and  seizing  his  pistols. 

"  No." 

"  Speak  on  then." 

"  Your  son  Jack " 


2  00  JA  CK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SONS 

"  Yes,  yes ;  my  boy — my  own  darling  brave  lad — what  of 
him  ? " 

The  girl  suddenly  turned  pale.  "  Hark,"  she  said,  "  I 
think  I  hear  footsteps  outside ;  quick !  to  the  window ;  I 
think  we  are  watched,"  and  the  girl  sank  in  terror  at  Jack's 
feet. 

Harkaway,  with  one  bound,  sprang  to  the  window,  pistol 
in  hand,  ready  for  use. 

But  it  was  a  false  alarm  ;  and,  having  satisfied  himself  that 
there  were  no  eavesdroppers,  Harkaway  returned  to  his  seat, 
and  the  girl  resumed — 

"  Are  you  able  to  bear  good  news  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  with  a  sickly  smile  ;  "  the  novelty  would 
perhaps  affect  me — speak  then — you  said  my  boy " 

"  Lives,"  answered  the  girl. 

"  Impossible,"  he  faltered ;  "  why,  Harvey  saw  their 
grave." 

"  And  I  too  saw  them  in  their  grave." 

"  In  their  grave  !  "  echoed  Harkaway ;  "  and  yet  you  say 
they  live." 

"  Yes." 

"  Where  are  they  ? " 

"  Close  at  hand ;  but  I  wish  to  ask  you  in  return " 

"  All  you  will — any  thing,  every  thing — only  bring  me  back 
my  boys." 

"  I  only  ask  to  save  the  lives  of  the  men  unjustly  accused 
of  the  murder,  and  who  have  been  doomed  to  die  to-morrow." 

"Granted — why,  it  was  granted  unasked,"  said  Harkaway. 

"  Enough,"  said  the  girl ;  "  I  see  that  I  may  count  upon 
you.  Will  you  come  with  me  to  your  son  and  his  friend  ? " 

"Yes." 

He  sprang  up  with  the  greatest  alacrity,  but  a  sudden  fancy 
crossed  him,  and  he  seized  the  girl  by  the  shoulder. 

"  You  are  not  playing  me  false  ?  "  said  Jack. 

"  Look  in  my  face  and  be  assured." 

He  gazed  long  and  earnestly  at  her,  and  she  bore  his  fixed 
look  unflinchingly. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  he  said,  more  to  himself  than  to  her ;  "  you 
are  truthful — I  am  sure  of  that — but  I'll  not  neglect  any 
precaution ;  for  my  head  is  so  sorely  perplexed  by  all 
you  have  told  me  that  I  scarcely  know  if  I  am  asleep  or 
waking." 

He  pressed  his  brow  with  his  open  hands,  and  then  look- 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  2O1 

ing  carefully  to  the  priming  of  his  revolvers,  he  started  out 
with  the  girl ;  and  as  they  issued  from  the  grounds  of  the 
villa,  he  spoke  his  last  words  of  mistrust  before  giving  her 
his  whole  confidence. 

"  You  see,  Theodora,"  he  said,  for  she  had  told  him  her 
name,  "  I  don't  hang  back.  I  freely  confide  in  you." 

"  You  do  well." 

"  I  believe  so— see  that  my  confidence  is  not  misplaced, 
and  you  shall  have  no  cause  to  repent  it." 

"  Your  words  would  imply  a  promise  of  reward  for  me ; 
but  I  seek  none." 

"  I  am  willing  to  believe  it,  but  still  my  fixed  resolve — 

"  Your  fixed  resolve  could  not  make  me  take  it,"  said  the 
girl,  proudly.  "  I  have  told  you  my  object  in  my  present 
mission ;  I  have  no  other." 

Harkaway  was  greatly  surprised  at  this,  but  as  he  stole  a 
sidelong  glance  at  her,  surprise  was  not  the  only  expression 
in  his  face. 

Admiration  was  strongly  mixed  with  it. 

"  Tell  me  where  we  are  going  ? "  he  asked  presently,  as 
they  got  clear  of  the  town. 

"  To  the  prison  by  the  water." 

"  What  for  ?  " 

"  They  are  there." 

"  But  in  prison — how  came  they  there  ?  In  prison  !  Why, 
then,  without  knowing  it,  I  have  been  probably  twenty  times 
within  earshot  of  both." 

"  Yes." 

"  How  came  they  there  ? — no  half  measures  now.  Surely 
this  is  the  time  for  revealing  all  ?  " 

"  And  now,  Mr.  Harkaway,  I  will  tell  you  all  as  we  walk 
on.  The  seeming  mystery  shall  remain  so  no  longer." 

So  saying,  Theodora  began  the  brief  but  startling  narra- 
tive which  follows — and  which  may  fairly  be  entitled — 

THE  DEAD  ALIVE. 

"Your  dear  son  Jack  and  his  friend  Harry  Girdwood 
saved  my  life  when  I  was  in  danger  of  drowning  at  sea.  They 
brought  me  safely  ashore,  only  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  my 
remorseless  companions,  the  mountaineers.  Ah,  I  see  you 
would  call  them  by  something  less  gentle  in  sound.  Well, 
it  was  a  planned  thing.  I  was  the  decoy,  but  alas!  \ 


202  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

thought  but  little  then  how  soon  I  was  to  repent  of  my  share 
in  that  evil  work." 

"  Go  on." 

"  I  will,  to  the  end,  even  though  you  should  learn  to  loathe 
me.  Well,  a  price  was  put  on  their  heads." 

"  Which  I  paid." 

"  You  paid  one-fifth." 

"  No,  no ;  I  paid  all,  as  demanded." 

"  Hunston  returned  to  the  camp  with  only  one  hundred 
pounds,  and  they  voted  the  death  of  the  two  boys.  Poor 
boys  !  both  brave  boys.  The  bravest  veteran  on  the  battle- 
field never  faced  death  with  the  heroic  calmness  of  those  two 
young  heroes,  sir." 

"  Bless  you  for  those  words,  my  girl,"  exclaimed  the  grati- 
fied Harkaway.  "  I  am  proud  of  my  dear  boy." 

"  I  demanded  their  release — I  implored — I  begged — I 
prayed  in  the  most  abject  terms.  But  they  had  felt  the 
weight  of  your  hand  too  often.  They  and  theirs  had  suf- 
fered so  much  that  I  was  powerless.  I  could  only  obtain 
one  small  concession." 

"  Say  on,  say  on  !  "  exclaimed  Harkaway.  "  What  was 
that  ?  I  burn  with  eagerness  to  know  more  of  my  dear  boys." 

"I  was  to  do  the  last  sad  honours  to  the  noble  dead. 
Three  were  to  be  executed ;  one  of  themselves,  a  traitor  called 
Lirico.  By  dissimulating  to  Hunston — the  viper !  how  I 
tremble  with  horror  at  the  very  name — I  obtained  one  con- 
cession— Lirico  was  the  first  to  suffer,  the  boys  were  to  follow." 

"Oh,  Hunston  !  villain  ! "  groaned  Harkaway,  "villain  !  " 

"  The  execution  took  place  at  daybreak.  I  waited  on  the 
firing  party.  When  the  wretched  Lirico  was  dealt  upon,  I 
passed  round  and  gave  the  men  to  drink  from  a  spirit  keg 
which  I  had  specially  provided.  Then,  while  they  feasted 
upon  the  drugged  spirit,  I  passed  round  and  reloaded  the 
muskets  for  what  they  thought  the  final  butchery." 

"  Well,  well,  do  not  torture  me,  girl.  Quick,  tell  me  the 
end." 

"  Can  you  not  guess  ?  " 

"  No,  no.     Quick,  tell  me  all." 

"In  loading  the  muskets  I  forgot  the  bullets." 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha !  "  laughed  old  Jack,  half -hysterically.  "  I  see 
it  all  now,  brave  girl." 

"  The  rest  was  no  easy  task.  As  the  men  fired,  they  fell 
back  in  the  grave  and  simulated  death,  as  I  had  instructed 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


203 


them  overnight ;  and  now  you  can  understand  how  I  saw 
them  in  the  grave  and  yet  can  prove  that  they  live." 

"  I  do.  Girl,  you  are  brave  and  good ;  I  know  not  how  to 
thank  you  for  the  lives  of  my  poor  boys." 

"  The  night  before  their  great  trial,  I  exacted  a  solemn 
promise  from  them  that  they  would  follow  me  to  a  hiding 
place  without  the  least  offer  of  resistance." 

"  I  begin  to  see.     But  how  did  you  contrive " 

"  To  get  them  secreted  in  the  great  prison  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  You  shall  hear.  My  foster-sister  is  the  daughter  of  the 
head  gaoler.  Her  lover  is  completely  at  her  mercy,  and  he 
holds  a  superior  post  in  the  prison.  It  was  the  only  condi- 
tion upon  which  I  could  spare  the  brave  boys'  lives,  and  so 
they  were  forced  to  yield." 

"  And  all  this  time  we  might  have  been  spared  the  bitterest 
agony." 

She  hung  her  head. 

"  I  know  it,  but  I  dared  not  speak  sooner,  for  I  feared  to 
betray  my  friends." 

"  You  may  trust  me,"  said  Jack. 

"  I  know  it,  for  I  have  saved  your  boys." 


They  reached  the  prison. 

"  Sebastian,"  said  Theodora,  presenting  Harkaway  to 
her  foster-sister  and  the  latter's  lover,  "  this  is  Mr.  Harka- 
way." 

The  Greek  official  bowed  with  an  air  of  constraint. 

"  Theodora  has  told  you  all,  sir  ? " 

"  Yes,  you  have  risked  much  to  save  my  boys'  lives." 

"  Since  I  can  count  upon  your  forbearance,"  said  Sebas- 
tian, "  I  will  say  no  more.  Follow  me  to  the  presence  of  the 
boys." 

So  saying,  Sebastian  led  the  way  through  the  stone-paved 
passages  to  the  tower  overhanging  the  sea,  in  which  the  cell  of 
the  two  boys  was  situated. 

At  the  base  of  the  tower  were  jagged,  sea-beaten  rocks. 

Beside  the  tower,  at  about  half  the  height  of  the  tower, 
reckoning  from  the  level  of  the  sea,  was  a  gravel  terrace, 
covered  with  a  waterproof  canopy,  so  as  to  form  a  sort  of 
shed. 

And  looking  out  of  the  tower  windows  as  they  passed  up 


2  04  JA  CK  HARK  A  WAY  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

its  steep  inner  staircase,  Harkaway  inquired  what  this  place 
was. 

'  That  is  used  as  the  prison  mortuary." 

'  Those  black,  ugly  outlines  there  are " 

'  Bodies." 

'  Ugh  !  " 

'  They  are  put  into  those  black  bags  in  lieu  of  winding 
sheets,  then  placed  into  those  rough  wooden  shells,  which  are 
lowered  to  the  prison  cemetery  below  by  that  crane  you  see 
to  the  right. " 

"  A  very  poor  look-out." 

But  away  with  such  dull  thoughts. 

Here  he  was  on  the  threshold  of  new  joy — new  life. 

"  Your  boys  are  here,"  said  Sebastian,  pausing  before  a 
huge  barred  door. 

He  undid  the  fastenings,  and  pushing  open  the  door,  made 
way  for  Harkaway  to  pass  in. 

"  Enter,  sir,"  he  said. 

Harkaway's  heart  beat  high. 

He  pushed  open  the  door — entered. 

"  Where  are  they  ? " 

"  There." 

A  momentary  pause. 

"  There's  no  one  there,"  said  Harkaway,  in  a  tone  indicative 
of  powerfully-suppressed  emotion. 

Dire  apprehensions  of  evil  stole  over  both  Sebastian  and 
Theodora  as  they  followed  Harkaway  into  the  cell. 

"  Theodora,"  gasped  Sebastian,  staggering  back,  "  they  are 
gone." 

"  Where  ?    How  ? " 

"They  must  have  escaped." 

"  Liar  ! "  yelled  Harkaway,  suddenly  springing  back  and 
drawing  his  six-shooter  ;  "  this  is  some  plot.  Thieves  !  mur- 
derers !  You  think  to  fool  me  ;  but  you  shall  pay  the  penalty 
for  your  villainy.  You  are  in  an  injured  father's  grasp.  Die, 
brigands !  " 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  205, 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

YOUNG  JACK  AND  HIS  COMRADE  HARRY  GIRDWOOD — DEAD 
OR  ALIVE — THE  RIDDLE  UNRAVELLED — THE  PLAN  IN  CYPHER 
— A  RELIC  OF  THE  PAST — EUREKA! — THE  CYPHER  UN- 
RAVELLED. 

Now  for  young  Jack. 

Once  more  let  us  see  the  bold  young  Harkaway  and  Harry, 
his  brave  comrade. 

Too  long  have  we  been  absent  from  them. 

Too  long  have  we  been  forced  by  the  exigencies  of  our 
history  to  leave,  not  only  the  Harkaway  family  and  party 
generally,  under  the  cruel  impression  that  the  two  boys  had 
been  foully  murdered,  but  the  reader  likewise. 

They  lived. 

Aye,  it  was  every  word  true  that  Theodora  had  said. 

Sebastian  was  not  a  wit  less  truthful. 

When  he  opened  the  door  of  the  cell  in  the  tower,  he  fully 
expected  to  find  the  two  boys  there. 

Where  were  they  ? 

By  what  jugglery  had  they  contrived  to  get  out  of  such  a 
formidable  fortress  as  that  place  ? 

This  the  present  chapter  is  to  relate. 

To  give  it  clearly,  however  briefly,  we  must  go  back  to  the 
day  of  their  entrance  into  their  gloomy  prison  home. 

Jack  and  Harry  were  alone. 

"This  is  a  rum  go,  Jack,"  said  Harry  Girdwood.  "What 
do  you  think  of  it  ? " 

"  Precious  dull,  old  boy,"  grumbled  young  Harkaway. 

"  Better  than  a  grave  on  the  mountain  side." 

"  It  is  just  that,"  said  young  Jack.  "  But  it  wouldn't  be 
quite  so  good  if  this  sort  of  thing  was  meant  to  be  perma- 
nent." 

"  Growler,  growler,"  said  Harry  Girdwood.  "  Why,  I  call 
these  famous  diggings,  after  that  hole  they  meant  us  to  rest 
in  while  the  worms  made  meat  of  us.  Besides,  we  must  get 
away." 

"  How  ?  " 

"  Escape." 


206  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOWS 

Young  Jack  looked  up  at  the  word,  and  his  heart  beat  a 
little  quicker. 

But  he  said  nothing. 

Frowning  walls  on  every  side. 

The  cell  was  fully  eighteen  feet  high,  and  the  window 
was  close  up  by  the  ceiling. 

"  If  we  want  to  get  out  of  this,"  said  young  Jack,  "  we  must 
begin  operations  from  this  moment." 

"  Good." 

"  Do  you  know,  Harry,  what  is  to  be  the  first  step  ?  "  . 

"  No." 

"  To  get  at  that  window." 

"  But  it  is  about  eighteen  feet  high." 

"  Well,  we  must  reach  it,"  said  young  Jack. 

Both  boys  were  expert  gymnasts. 

The  greasiest  of  greasy  poles  were  vanquished  by  either 
with  the  greatest  of  ease. 

In  the  stormiest  weather  they  could  mount  into  the  top- 
most parts  of  the  rigging  on  board i*hip. 

And  the  consequence  was  that  the  morning  after  their  en- 
trance into  their  prison  found  young  Jack  perched  up  at  the 
window,  looking  down  at  his  comrade  and  fellow-prisoner, 
and  giving  graphic  descriptions  of  all  he  saw  there. 

"What's  on  the  other  side,  Jack  ?" 
'  The  sea,  the  open  sea,  old  fellow,"  cried  Jack. 
1  And  below  ?  " 
'  The  sea,  again,  old  fellow." 
'  To  the  right  ?  " 

'  The  sea,  the  sea — the  open  sea,  old  fellow.  Water,  water, 
everywhere,  and  not  a  drop  to  drink.  At  least  it  would  be 
an  awful  drop  to  get  at  it." 

"  Can  you  see  any  thing  to  the  right  ?  " 

"  Water  only." 

"  Is  that  all  ? " 

"  Yes— hallo  !  " 

Some  thing  fell. 

A  roll  of  some  thing  white  and  soft  dropped  at  HarryGird- 
wood's  feet,  and  he  hastened  to  pick  it  up. 
Some  thing  white,  we  said. 

Well,  it  had  once  been  white,  but  now  it  had  got  very  con- 
siderably discoloured  with  age  and  dust,  which  seemed  to  in- 
dicate that  it  had  been  a  long  while  up  on  the  shelf  in  its 
hiding  place. 


AD  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  2  07 

Yes,  its  hiding  place. 

They  opened  the  bundle,  and  found  it  to  be  composed  of 
three  slips  of  cotton,  upon  which  were  written,  in  red  ink, 
curious  things  which  they  could  not  make  much  of. 

Upon  one  of  these  pieces  of  cotton  were  certain  cabalistic 
signs,  such  as  figures,  algebraical  marks,  and  geometrical 
figures. 

Upon  another  was  traced  a  plan  of  some  building. 

A  third  was  a  sectional  view,  drawn  roughly,  but  upon  ar- 
chitectural principles,  and  marked  with  initial  letters  of 
reference. 

"  This  is  a  rum  go,"  said  Harry  Girdwood,  laughing. 

Young  Jack  had  dropped  from  his  perch  and  joined  his 
fellow-prisoner  on  terra  firma,  and  together  they  poured  over 
these  singular  rags. 

Now  young  Harkaway  soon  lost  patience,  and  speaking 
contemptuously  of  their  find,  he  proposed  pitching  it  through 
the  grated  window  into  the  sea. 

"  Not  I,"  said  Harry  ;  "  there's  some  thing  here  which  it 
will  amuse  me  to  puzzle  out." 

"  If  you  like  to  kill  time  that  way,  Harry,"  answered  young 
Jack,  laughing,  "  no  harm  ;  there's  plenty  of  time  to  kill  in 
this  dreadful  dungeon." 

And  puzzle  over  this  precious  treasure  Harry  did. 

The  cloth  upon  which  were  the  cabalistic  signs  was  headed 
with  certain  words,  which  were  all  but  illegible,  and  this  he 
managed  to  construe. 

"  Simple  cypher,  left  in  hopes  that  it  may  yet  serve  some 
unfortunate  Englishman  to  escape  from  the  tender  mercies 
of  this  hole." 

Below  this  were  the  following  figures  and  signs — 

3.  15.  21.  14.  20.— 6.  15.  21.  18. — 19.  20.  15.  14.  5.  19. 
—21.  16. — 6.  18.  15.  13.— 7.  18.  15.  21.  14-  4-— 20.  23. 
15.— 6.  15.  21.  18.— 19.  9.  4-  S-— J5-  6-— 3-  8-  9- 

Neath  ) 

13.  14.  5.  25.—  >-C.— 23. 

Press  ) 
it 
8.  i.  20. — 9.  19— 

revealed. 

Now  when  Harry  Girdwood  had  got  through  the  above 
puzzle  once  or  twice,  he  was  in  a  regular  fog. 


208  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOATS 

The  only  result  was  to  get  himself  heartily  laughed  at  by 
his  fellow-prisoner. 

So  Harry  Girdwood  kept  what  he  knew  of  the  matter  to 
himself. 

Upon  that  same  day  towards  sundown,  when  Sebastian 
came  round  to  bring  their  food,  Harry  Girdwood  said — 

"  We  are  not  the  first  Englishmen  who  have  been  here,  my 
friend." 

Sebastian  gave  him  a  sharp  glance,  as  he  answered — 

"  How  do  you  know  that  ? " 

"  There  is  no  mystery  in  it,"  replied  Harry  Girdwood  ;  "  I 
saw  some  words  written  in  pencil  upon  the  wall." 

"  Where  ?  " 

The  eagerness  of  his  manner  aroused  the  curiosity  of  both 
the  boys. 

"  Somewhere  here,"  replied  Harry,  pretending  to  seek 
for  the  marks  upon  the  wall. 

But  of  course  he  found  nothing. 

"  It  is  strange,"  he  said,  still  looking  about ;  "  for  I  made 
sure  it  was  hereabouts  somewhere.  I  saw  some  words  which 
made  me  sure  that  it  was  occupied  by  an  Englishman  once.'' 

"  You  are  right,"  replied  Sebastian ;  "  quite  right.  An 
Englishman  named  Terence  Dougherty " 

"  That  Englishman  was  Irish,"  said  young  Jack. 

"  Possibly ;  but  he  was  a  priest.  He  was  confined  here 
for  a  long  while.  So  long  that  he  went  mad." 

"  Mad,  did  you  say  ? " 

"  Yes,  and  raving  at  last ;  his  madness  appeared  tu  have  so 
much  method  in  it  that  it  quite  deceived  our  head  doctor." 

"  How  did  he  deceive  the  head  doctor  ?  " 

"  By  his  apparent  sanity.  He  was  mad  as  a  March  hare, 
and  he  used  to  rave  about  having  discovered  the  way  out  of 
the  prison." 

The  two  boys  pricked  up  their  ears  at  this  speech. 

"  What  was  more  natural  ?  "  said  Sebastian.  "  A  prisoner 
is  always  thinking  how  he  can  get  away." 

"Of  course." 

"  And  yet,"  said  Sebastian, "  the  old  priest  was  sure  he  had 
discovered  the  way  to  elude  our  vigilance  when  he  chose  to 
put  his  plan  into  execution  ;  and  his  dying  words  startled  us." 

"  How  ? " 

"  He  said  to  the  doctor  within  twenty  minutes  of  drawing 
his  last  breath — '  Doctor,  you  think  I  am  mad.  Not  a  bit  of 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  209 

it,  and  I  tell  you  that  I  have  given  my  life  to  the  study  of  pri- 
son breaking — getting  out  of  this  particulai  cell — and,  doctor, 
I  should  have  got  out  if  the  great  commander  death  had  not 
ordered  me  off  by  another  route.  As  it  is,  I  leave  my  work 
for  the  benefit  of  the  first  Briton  who  shall  fall  into  your  claws 
and  drop  into  my  cell,  and  then — mark  me  well — he'll  profit 
by  my  work,  unless  he  be  a  greater  fool  than  you  have  taken 
me  to  be,  and  get  away." 

"  He  was  very  mad,"  said  young  Harkaway. 

"Very." 

Harry  Girdwood  said  nothing. 

****** 

They  were  alone. 

Young  Jack  was  full  of  deep  and  serious  thought. 
Harry  Girdwood  arose  suddenly  from  his  puzzle. 
"  Eureka  !  "  he  cried  ;     "  I  have  discovered  it." 
"  What  ?  "  demanded  the  startled  Jack. 
"  The  cypher.     It  is  alphabetical.     Listen  here." 
Young  Jack  approached. 

"It  is  clear  as  daylight,"  said  Harry;  "these  figures  cor- 
respond with  the  letters  of  the  alphabet. 

"  '  Count  four  stones  up  from  ground.  Two  from  side 
of  chimney.  Press  underneath.  See  what  is  revealed  under 
it:" 

"  Hurrah !  "  cried  young  Jack. 

"  Hurrah  !  "  yelled  Harry  Girdwood  ;  "but  stop.  Let  us 
see  if  there  is  any  thing  in  it,  for  we  may  yet  escape." 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

WHAT  THE  CYPHER  DID  FOR  THEM — THE  END  OF  THE  PAS- 
SAGE— NEARLY  SAVED — BACK  AGAIN — LOST — THE  DEAD- 
HOUSE  ON  THE  TERRACE. 

FOUR  stones  up. 
Two  across. 

"  Do  you  understand  it  now,  Harry  ? " 
The  latter  scratched  his  head  and  looked  about. 
"  I  understand  it  well  enough,"  he  replied ;  "  but  there  is 
one  difficulty." 
14 


210  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"What?" 

"A  tool." 

"  Let  us  try  with  our  hands  first,"  said  Jack. 

And  so  saying,  he  set  to  work  himself  to  try  as  he  sug- 
gested. 

"  One,  two,  three,  four,  and  two  up.  Good  !  Now,  Harry, 
lend  a  hand  here.  Come." 

Harry  Girdwood  dropped  on  one  knee  beside  his  com- 
panion and  together  they  pressed  the  stone  indicated  in  the 
singular  cypher. 

For  a  moment  they  felt  no  effect,  but  after  a  minute's 
effort  they  found  that  they  had  made  an  impression. 

The  discovery  set  them  all  aglow. 

'  Once  more." 

'  Harder  yet." 

'  Of  course;  only  mind,  Jack,  no  jerking." 

'  All  right." 

'  We  must  work  without  making  any  noise ;  a  jerk  might 
bring  down  one  of  the  stones  with  a  clatter,  which  would 
alarm  the  guards. 

"  Caution  is  our  watchword." 

Soon  they  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  stone  revolve 
and  drop  out  into  their  arms. 

Then  they  saw  that  beyond  the  hole  thus  left  there  was  an 
open  space. 

It  was  pitch  dark. 

Now,  the  hole  in  the  wall  was  only  just  big  enough  for  one 
of  them  to  squeeze  through,  and  Harry  Girdwood  pushed  in 
eagerly,  and  then  he  perceived  that  beyond  was  a  sort  of  tun- 
nel on  a  small  scale,  with  a  roughly-hewn  flight  of  steps  at 
the  end  of  it. 

"  I  can  see  some  steps,"  said  he. 

"  Go  on,"  said  Jack,  with  feverish  eagerness. 

"  I  will ;  but  you  go  to  the  door,  Jack,  and  listen." 

Jack  stood  eagerly  watching  at  the  dungeon  door. 

Young  Jack  was  full  of  eagerness. 

Harry  had  disappeared,  and  he  could  not  see  or  hear  him. 

"  All  right." 

The  answer  came  in  a  hollow,  echoing  sound,  which  in- 
dicated that  Harry  Girdwood  had  made  some  considerable 
progress. 

This  increased  his  eagerness  greatly. 

****** 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  2 1 1 

"Harry." 

No  answer. 

He  was  too  far  for  young  Jack's  voice  to  reach  him. 

Quitting  his  post  at  the  door,  young  Jack  ran  back  to  the 
hole  in  the  wall,  and  called  out  eagerly  to  his  exploring  com- 
rade— 

"  Harry,  Harry  I  " 

«  Hullo  ! " 

"  Come  back,  quick  !     I  can  hear  someone  coming." 

"The  deuce  you  can." 

Back  he  scrambled  as  fast  as  the  narrow  space  would 
allow  of,  and  he  was  soon  in  the  cell  again. 

"  What  is  it  ? " 

"  I  heard  the  bell  go  and  the  iron  door  along  the  passage 
outside.  Sebastian  is  coming." 

"  Confound  it !    Look  what  a  precious  mess." 

The  displacing  of  the  stone  had  left  traces  of  the  work. 

But  having  seen  their  danger,  they  were  prepared  to  pro- 
vide against  it. 

Quick  as  thought  they  swept  up  the  dirt,  mortar,  and  rub- 
bish, and  threw  it  into  the  hole. 

Then,  joining  hands,  they  raised  the  stone  and  lifted  it 
into  its  place. 

At  that  moment  the  key  turned  in  the  massive  and  half 
rusty  lock. 

Sebastian  entered  the  cell,  tray  in  hand. 

He  had  not  the  faintest  suspicion  that  any  thing  was  wrong. 

"  Will  you  leave  the  tray,  Sebastian  ? " 

"  Why  ? " 

"  For  us  to  work  up  our  appetites  ;  we  have  none  to  speak 
of  now." 

"  Very  good,"  returned  the  man ;  "  there  can  be  no  harm 
in  that." 

"  Of  course  not." 

Sebastian  then  left  the  room. 

"  Thank  goodness  he's  gone  !  "  said  young  Jack,  who  was 
all  impatience  to  see  what  Harry  was  to  do  next. 

Harry  Girdwood  watched  until  the  door  was  fairly  closed, 
and  then  turned  again  to  the  hole  in  the  wall. 

"  Come  along.     Follow  me,  Jack." 

"  Trot  on,"  said  young  Harkaway.     "  I'm  after  you." 

They  both  scrambled  through  the  hole,  and  when  they 
were  upon  the  other  side,  they  replaced  the  stone. 


212  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  ffIS  SON'S 

And  this  done,  the  cell  wore  its  original  aspect. 

Their  way  now  lay  down  a  rugged  flight  of  steps,  roughly 
cut  in  the  solid  earth. 

The  greatest  care  was  necessary  to  avoid  stumbling. 

At  length  Harry  Girdwood  came  to  a  standstill. 

"  Jack,"  he  said,  in  a  whisper. 

"  Here." 

"  Keep  close  now." 

"  Right." 

"  Nearer.  Lend  me  a  hand  here.  That's  it.  Now  help 
me  to  raise  the  stone  here." 

"  Are  you  sure  you  are  right  ?  n 

"  Certain." 

"  Why  ? " 

"  This  is  exactly  the  position  of  the  stone  we  have  to  lift 
away  that  old  Dougherty  describes  in  his  plan." 

Young  Jack  said  no  more,  but  lent  his  aid,  and  together 
they  shifted  the  stone  from  its  place. 

Then  daylight  peeped  into  their  dark  hiding-place. 

There  was  something  leaning  against  the  opening. 

They  pushed  it  aside,  and  stepping  over  a  pile  of  sacks, 
found  themselves  in  a  covered  shed  overlooking  the  sea. 

A  place  of  curious  aspect,  with  no  sign  of  life  in  it. 

All  was  as  still  and  gloomy-looking  as  if  it  were  a  huge 
mausoleum. 

"  I  know  what  this  place  is,"  said  Harry  Girdwood. 

"  What  ? " 

"It  must   be    the   dead-house  on  the  terrace  that  I  see 

noted  down  in  old  Dougherty's  plans." 

****** 

While  they  were  in  the  dead-house  upon  the  terrace,  a 
stirring  scene  was  being  enacted  in  the  cell  in  the  tower 
above,  which  they  had  only  lately  vacated. 

In  fact,  Jack  Harkaway  the  elder  had  only  just  entered 
the  cell  with  Sebastian  as  they  found  themselves  upon  the 
terrace. 

"  Where  are  we  now  ? " 

There  were  several  ugly-looking  long  boxes,  whose  shape 
was  uniform  and  suggestive,  standing  upon  tressels. 

Besides  these,  there  were  no  objects  in  the  room  or  shed 
beyond  a  few  badly-filled  sacks  which  rested  against  the  wall. 

They  looked  anxiously  about  them. 

Nearly  facing  the  place  where  they  had  made  their  entrance 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


213 


was  a  door,  and  this  they  tried  without  a  moment's  loss  of 
time. 

Fast. 

Immovable. 

"  The  window,  then,"  said  Harry  Girdwood. 

Back  they  ran  on  tip-toe  to  the  window,  and  pushing  open 
the  casement,  they  looked  out. 

The  sea. 

Between  thirty  and  forty  feet  below,  and  lashing  the  very 
base  of  the  prison. 

They  turned  to  each  other  simultaneously. 

"  Ugh  ! " 

"  No  chance  here." 

"  This  is  a  funny  go." 

"  Well,  Jack,"  said  Harry,  ruefully,  "  I'm  glad  you  find  it 
funny ;  for  my  part,  I  don't  see  the  joke." 

"  Your  friend,  old  Dougherty,  did,  no  doubt." 

"  Don't  be  hard  on  poor  old  Dougherty,"  said  Harry, 
laughingly.  "  It  is  very  likely  that  his  plan  is  complete,  if 
we  could  only  find  it  out." 

"  Where  is  it  ?  " 

"  In  our  cell,"  said  Harry ;  "  I'll  go  back  and  get  it." 

And  putting  aside  the  sack,  he  pressed  his  way  into  the 
opening. 

Young  Jack  glanced  around  him  at  the  boxes  on  the 
tressels. 

An  unpleasant  feeling  stole  over  him. 

He  did  not  relish  being  left  alone  with  the  dead. 

He  felt  convinced  that  those  ugly  boxes  did  contain  the 
bodies  of  dead  prisoners. 

"  I'm  with  you,  Harry,"  he  said. 

After  him  he  pressed,  and  up  the  long,  narrow  tunnel 
made  by  old  Dougherty  they  passed. 

Sometimes  on  all  fours  ;  sometimes  standing  nearly  upright. 

'  A  few  steps  more,  and  we  are  there,"  said  Harry. 

'Hah!" 

'  What  now  ?  " 

1  Listen ! " 

'  I  can  hear  voices,"  said  Harry,  in  a  whisper.  "  This  is 
the  stone  which  is  all  we  have  to  displace  to  get  back  to  thfr 
cell." 

"  Then  the  voices  are  there  ? " 

"Yes." 


214  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

"  By  jingo  ! "  exclaimed  young  Jack,  "  then  they  must  have 
discovered  our  absence  already." 

"  Of  course." 

"  How  I  should  like  to  yell  out  something  !  Wouldn't  it 
startle  them  just  a  little  ? " 

"  Don't  be  foolish,  Jack,"  said  his  companion,  uneasily. 
"  You  would  ruin  us." 

"  They'd  never  discover  where  we  were.  Shall  I  startle 
them  ? " 

"  No.  Our  only  chance  of  safety  depends  upon  keeping 
snug." 

"  All  right." 

They  could  hear  noisy  tones  of  anger,  which  denoted  that 
something  unusual  had  occurred. 

"There  are  several  people  there,"  said  Harry,  listening 
intently  at  the  stone. 

"  By  Jove  !  how  I  should  like  to  give  them  a  cheer." 

"  Keep  quiet,"  exclaimed  Harry.     "You  will  ruin  us," 

But,  by  a  mere  chance,  he  was  wrong  there. 

Had  young  Jack  really  indulged  in  his  propensity  of  devil- 
ment on  this  occasion,  it  would  have  saved  them  many  hours 
of  mental  anguish  and  of  bodily  suffering,  for  the  angry  words 
uttered  in  the  cell  but  lately  tenanted  by  the  two  boys  were 
spoken  by  Jack  Harkaway  the  elder  ? 

Yes. 

Cruel  fate  was  playing  them  a  sad  trick. 

They  were  now  actually  fleeing  from  their  father  and 
protector. 

The  voice  raised  in  anger,  and  whose  echo  came  but  feebly 
to  them  in  their  hiding-place,  was  his. 

Harkaway's. 

And  thus  were  these  loving  hearts  parted  by  a  few  inches 
of  stone  wall. 

The  boys,  on  the  one  hand,  taking  the  confused  sounds 
for  the  murmur  of  their  enemy's  voice. 

And  at  that  very  moment  Harkaway  was  nearly  distracted 
to  have  all  his  hopes  dashed  rudely  to  the  ground. 

And  in  his  anger,  two  lives  were  sorely  endangered. 

Sebastian  and  Theodora  were  both  menaced — aye,  both. 
^  Harkaway  could  only  believe  that  they  had  been  fooling 
him,  and  that  he  had  been  trapped    there  with  a  view  to 
further  treachery. 

His  rage,  in  consequence,  knew  no  bounds. 


AD  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  2 1$ 

But  we  must  now  follow  the  two  brave  boys. 

"  Back  we  go,  or  we  shall  be  captured,"  said  Harry  Gird- 
wood. 

Young  Jack  led  the  way  back  as  fast  as  the  narrow  space 
would  permit. 

And  soon  they  were  in  the  dead-house  again,  and  groping 
about  here,  they  presently  came  upon  a  cupboard  in  which 
they  discovered  a  number  of  tools. 

"  Luck  at  last,"  ejaculated  Harry. 

"  Here,  let's  make  make  sure  of  these  two  knives,"  said 
young  Jack. 

They  were  long-bladed  weapons,  something  similar  in 
shape  to  the  American  bowie. 

They  took  one  each  and  placed  them  in  their  waist  belts. 

They  little  thought  then  of  the  singular  yet  immense  ser- 
vice these  were  to  be  to  them. 

Now  barely  were  these  knives  secreted  when  they  were 
startled  by  the  sound  of  heavy  foot-falls  upon  the  stone-paved 
passage  beyond  the  dead-house  door. 

"  What  shall  we  do  now  ?  " 

Young  Jack  stepped  up  to  the  door,  and  listened  intently 
for  awhile. 

"  There  are  only  two  people,"  he  said  to  his  comrade, 
Harry,  in  a  whisper. 

"  Only  two.     Well,  that's  quite  enough,  I  should  say." 

"  Let  us  hide  behind  the  door,"  said  young  Jack,  eagerly, 
"  and  then  fall  upon  them,  and  make  a  dash  for  liberty." 

The  steps  drew  nearer  and  nearer. 

"  Let  us  hide  here,"  said  Harry,  pushing  the  lid  off  one  of 
the  long  coffins  or  shells. 

But  even  as  he  did  so,  both  boys  started  back  with  looks 
of  horror. 

And  why  ? 

The  removal  of  the  coffin  lid  revealed  a  ghastly  corpse,  the 
face  showing  the  last  agonies  which  the  dead  man  had  suf- 
fered, and  they,  to  judge  by  the  distorted  face  and  twisted 
mouth,  must  have  been  horrible  indeed. 

They  pushed  back  the  lid. 

"  Ugh  !  " 

"  Horrible,  horrible  ! "  gasped  young  Jack.  The  footsteps 
sounded  nearer. 

They  were  coming  to  this  place,  whoever  it  was. 

The  boys  looked  about  them  in  despair. 


e  1 6  JACK  HARKA  WAY  AND  HIS  SON'S 

At  the  last  moment  young  Jack's  eye  lighted  upon  an 
empty  sack  upon  the  ground,  lying  beside  the  full  ones  to 
which  we  have  previously  alluded. 

"  Let's  get  in  that." 

"  Good." 

Harry  Girdwood  jumped  at  the  proposition. 

Now  the  sacks  were  very  large,  and  made  of  coarse  canvas, 
thick  enough  to  avoid  falling  into  folds,  which  would  reveal 
the  contents  to  any  one  at  a  glance. 

So,  quick  as  thought,  young  Jack  held  it  open  while  Harry 
got  in,  and  then  Harry,  holding  up  the  sides  of  it  with  both 
hands,  stood  erect  while  young  Jack  joined  him. 

"  This  is  a  novel  way  of  jumping  in  sack,"  said  the  irre- 
pressible Jack. 

"  Hush  ! " 

"  They  come." 

A  key  was  heard  grating  in  the  rusty  lock,  and  as  the 
boys  inclined  against  the  other  sacks  so  as  to  look  as  much 
like  one  of  the  pile  as  possible,  the  heavy  door  ground  sud- 
denly ajar,  and  two  ugly-looking,  black-visaged  men  entered 
the  shed. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

THE   BLACK   TRADE — A   TRAFFIC   IN   DEATH A  PLACE  OF  HOR- 
ROR  CAN    IT   BE  TRUE? — TWO    BOYS     IN    ONE     SHROUD — A 

FIGHT  WITH  A   SHARK — GIVING   HIM   THE    SACK — DEEP-SEA 
FISHING   ON   A   NOVEL   PLAN. 

THE  two  black-looking  ruffians  looked  about  them  steal  drily, 
as  though  they  were  on  no  good  errand  there. 

Then  one  of  them  listened  at  the  door  awhile. 

"  You  had  better  lock  the  door,  Fleon,"  said  one  of  the 
men.  "  What  we  have  to  do  mustn't  be  overlooked." 

"  True." 

The  boys,  heard  the  door  closed  and  locked,  and  the  sound 
seemed  to  lock  out  another  hope  for  them. 

"  Now,  Fleon,  come  here." 

"  Well,  what  now  ?  " 

"  We  must  come  to  terms." 

"  Of  course,  Barthes,  but  there  is  no  need  to  go  far  into 
that  matter  ;  the  terms  are  simple  enough." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  217 

"  You  are  allowed  forty-five  francs  for  each  burial,  that  is, 
for  cost  of  the  shell  and  sheet." 

"  No,  forty  only." 

"  Well,  forty ;  and  if  I  sign  the  register  in  my  quality  of 
head  gravedigger,  you  can  go  and  get  your  money  at  once. 
Besides,  you  will  have  my  sacks." 

'  You  drive  a  bargain  like  a  Jew.     Keep  your  sacks." 

'  And  drop  the  bodies  out  into  the  water  ?  " 

'  Of  course." 

'  Impossible." 

'  Why  ? " 

'  They  would  float." 

'  No  matter,  the  sharks  below  would  soon  take  care  of  the 
few  that  floated." 

"  Are  we  agreed,"  cried  Fleon,  "  for  halves  ?  " 

The  other  made  some  grumbling  rejoinder,  but  grumbling 
he  closed  with  the  proposition. 

"  Very  good,  very  good,"  said  Fleon,  rubbing  his  hands. 
"  Now  let  us  cast  them  up." 

"  One,  two,  four,  six,  eight,  eleven,  thirteen,"  said  Barthes. 

Now  they  were  standing  so  close  to  the  pile  of  sacks  that 
the  boys  in  their  novel  place  of  concealment  could  not  only 
hear  every  word,  but  they  actually  felt  the  speakers  brushing 
against  them. 

But  they  dared  not  speak. 

They  even  held  their  breath. 

They  heard,  and  partly  understood,  yet  could  not  believe 
that  they  guessed  aright. 

What  could  it  mean  ? 

Surely  not — 

No,  no,  no  ! 

The  thought  maddened  the  boys. 

It  was  too  horrible. 

Yet  what  did  the  rest  of  the  sacks  contain  ? 

Besides,  there  were  no  other  sacks  in  the  shed  but  these. 

Both  the  boys  heard  the  conversation. 

Yet  so  fearful  a  notion  was  it  that  each  felt  that  he  had 
not  heard  aright. 

They  dared  not  speak. 

And  their  worst  fears  were  indeed  corr*:t. 

****** 

«  Hullo !  " 
"What  now?" 


2 1 8  JACK  HARK  A  WAY  AND  HIS  SON  •$ 

"  Thirteen." 

"Yes." 

"You  are  wrong,"  said  Fleon-,  "count  them  again." 

The  man  obeyed. 

"  Thirteen ;  I  was  sure  of  it." 

"  Well,  that's  a  rum  go,"  said  Fleon.  "  I  am  positive  that 
there  were  only  twelve." 

"  There's  a  baker's  dozen  now,"  said  Barthes,  with  his 
brutal  laugh ;  "  the  more  the  merrier." 

"  Right." 

"  What  are  you  staring  at  ? " 

"  I  can't  make  out  that  thirteenth  one." 

"Well,  I  don't  see  that  that's  any  thing  to  weep  over. 
"  Thirteen  at  dinner  is  an  awkward  number,  they  say ;  but 
I  dare  say  that  the  sharks  won't  object  to  it ;  they're  nor  so 
weak-minded  as  to  be  superstitious.  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  " 

But  still  Fleon  could  not  get  over  this  last  sack. 

"  I've  got  it." 

"  What,  where  the  last  sack  came  from  ? " 

"Yes." 

"  Well,  then,  out  with  it,  and  ease  your  mind — not  that  I 
care  much,  so  long  as  we  land  the  money." 

"  Why,  they  have  brought  the  last  one  in  from  the  hospital 
fever-ward ;  I  heard  the  bell  tolling  at  midnight,  and  I  remem- 
ber now  that  they  said  another  was  all  but  gone." 

"  Why,  of  course,"  said  Barthes  ;  "  and  see  how  the  lazy 
beggars  haven't  even  taken  the  trouble  to  tie  the  neck  of  the 
sack  round." 

"  That's  easily  done." 

Before  the  boys  could  guess  what  was  next  to  take  place, 
the  sack  was  jerked  over,  and  a  rope  was  twisted  around  the 
neck  of  the  sack,  thus  excluding  nearly  all  the  air. 

But  young  Jack  had  already  grown  desperate,  and  he  held 
his  knife  in  his  hand  ready  for  an  emergency. 

The  jerk  had  sent  the  knife  through  the  sack  about  two 
inches,  and  it  prodded  Barthes  in  the  hand. 

"  Hullo ! " 

He  yelled  and  drew  back  his  hand 

"What  now?" 

**  I've  cut  myself." 

"  Why,  how  on  earth  did  you  manage  that  ?  " 

"  There's  a  knife  sticking  out  of  the  sack.  Let's  open  it 
and  get  it  out." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 

"What  for?" 

"  It's  a  pity  to  throw  such  a  thing  into  the  sea." 

The  boys  shivered. 

This  time  there  could  be  no  mistaking  the  words. 

"  Jack,"  whispered  Harry  Girdwood,  '*  do  you  hear  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  let  us  show  ourselves,  and  go  back  to  prison, 
or " 

But  before  he  could  complete  his  proposition,  they  were 
jerked  in  the  sack  up  on  to  their  feet. 

"  Come,  let's  do  it  quick." 

"  Good !  " 

"  Phew ! "  grunted  Barthes  ;     "  it's  precious  heavy." 

"  Heavy  enough  for  two,"  said  Fleon. 

"Over  with  it.  Now,  then,  both  together  at  the  word 
three." 

"  One." 

"  Two." 

"Three."    • 

They  raised  the  sack  on  to  the  window  ledge  and — 

"Oh,  murder  !  "  cried  Barthes,  his  cheek  blanching  with 
terror.  "  I  felt  something  move  in  the  sack." 

"  So  did  I,"  faltered  Fleon. 

"  It's  alive,"  cried  the  man  Barthes,  turning  pale. 

"  Over  with  it,  then ;  sharp." 

It  was  poised  for  an  instant,  no  more,  over  the  dizzy 
height. 

Then  down  it  went. 

As  it  fell,   a  wild,  despairing  shriek  went  up  to  Heaven. 

A  piteous  cry. 

It  was  cut  short  by  the  sharp  flight  through  the  air. 

A  splash. 

Then  all  was  still. 

*  *  *  *  *  * 

The  two  ruffians  stood  staring  at  each  other,  their  eyes 
half  starting  from  their  sockets. 

The  perspiration  stood  out  in  big  beads  upon  their  fore- 
heads, and  they  shook  like  ague-stricken  wretches. 

"Look  over,"  said  Fleon  in  a  hoarse  whisper.  "  What  do 
you  see  ? " 

"I  see,"  responded  the  other,  in  the  same  constrained 
tone,  "  there's  a  shark  !  I  see  his  fin." 

"  There's  plenty  more  in  the  neighbourhood." 

"  No ;  he's  all  alone,  and,  my  eye  !  what  a  feast  he'll  have  I " 


220  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOWS 

"  I  see  him  !     He  strikes  for  the  bottom.     He's  got  him, 
whether  he's  dead  or  alive." 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

A   WATERY  GRAVE — THE  BED  OF  THE   OCEAN — A   BOLD  STROKE 
FOR   LIFE — THE   RACE  WITH   A  SHARK — A   NARROW  SQUEAK 

— HOW   TO   GIVE   A   SHARK    THE   SACK — THE   BOAT "  FREE, 

FREE  AS   AIR  !  " — A  STRANGE  ENCOUNTER   WITH   A  GENTLE- 
MAN  ON   TWO   WOODEN   LEGS. 

POOR  boys ! 

Unhappy  Jack. 

Luckless  Harry  Girdwood. 

The  fall  from  such  a  height  to  the  water  would  render 
death  almost  a  certainty. 

Hand  and  foot  bound,  they  could  not  move. 

Yet  stay. 

Could  it  be  possible  that  these  noble  boys  were  to  fall 
victims  to  the  villainy  of  such  ruffians  ? 

No. 

As  they  reached  the  bottom,  the  two  boys,  momentarily 
deprived  of  their  senses  by  the  fall,  were  partially  restored 
by  the  shock. 

Instinctively  the  knives  go  to  work. 

Young  Jack  here  rendered  the  most  signal  service. 

He  held  his  knife  in  a  tight  grip  even  as  they  fell. 

And  barely  did  they  come  in  contact  with  the  bed  of  the 
ocean,  when  young  Jack  stabbed  upwards,  and,  at  a  single 
stroke,  cut  his  way  out  of  the  sack. 

At  the  self-same  instant  his  left  hand  grappled  his  friend 
and  trusty  comrade  Harry. 

To  kick  the  earth  fiercely  with  his  feet  was  to  Jack  a  natural 
impulse,  and  striking  upwards,  he  made  for  the  surface. 

Will  he  reach  it? 

Doubtful. 

It  seemed  a  weary,  weary  way  to  get. 

But  now  the  water  grows  lighter  and  less  dense. 

Jack  and  Harry  can  see  about  them. 

Both  sure  experienced  swimmers  and  divers,  and  they  always 
keep  their  eyes  open  under  water. 


AD  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  2  2 1 

And  now  this  habit  serves  them  in  good  stead,  for  looking 
up,  Jack  perceives  a  huge  floating  mass  bearing  down  upon 
him  through  the  water. 

Jack  and  Harry  have  Ficon's  words,  and  the  cruel  jokes 
of  Barthes,  still  ringing  in  their  ears,  and  they  know,  alas  J 
too  well  what  it  means. 

A  shark. 

With  the  energy  of  despair,  both  boys  strike  out,  diving 
lower. 

And  now  for  a  moment  their  fate  seems  sealed. 

They  discover  that  their  rapid  movements  are  stopped  by 
the  sack,  which  they  have  not  got  quite  clear  of,  and  which, 
puffed,  follows  them  up  through  the  water  in  their  progress 
to  the  air  and  light. 

And  this,  by  a  miracle,  saves  them. 

The  voracious  monster  of  the  deep  strikes  for  the  two 
boys,  but  its  unwieldy  body  not  answering  its  helm  with  the 
swiftness  of  an  ordinary  fish,  it  shoots  fairly  into  the  ripped- 
up  sack,  in  which  it  gets  its  huge  maws  entangled. 

A  strange  trap  for  a  shark. 

A  shark  trapped  by  no  more  cunning  contrivance  than  a 
canvas  sack,  ripped  up  on  one  side. 

And  while  the  fierce  beast  wallows  about  in  this  novel  trap, 
lashing  the  water  furiously  with  its  fins,  the  two  boys  gain 
the  surface  of  the  water,  marvelling  at  their  escape. 

Together  they  turn  over  on  their  backs,  and  gulp  down  big 
draughts  of  the  welcome  air. 

Presently  they  get  their  breath  again. 

"  Jack,  old  boy,  are  you  safe  ?  "  was  Harry's  question. 

"  For  the  present,  Harry,  old  chum.     How  do  you  feel  ?  " 

"  Saved,  thank  Heaven  !" 

"  God  bless  you,  old  man." 

Thus  the  two  boys,  rescued  from  such  a  complication  of 
perils,  pass  their  first  moments  in  getting  a  gasp  of  Heaven's 
fresh  air. 

Each  is  full  of  thankfulness  for  the  other's  escape,  and  for 
the  moment  thinks  but  little  of  himself. 

Suddenly  young  Jack  reverts  to  their  last  danger. 

"  Where  is  he,  the  monster  ? "  he  asks,  with  great  eagei> 
ness. 

"The  shark?" 

"  Yes." 

"  Don't  know. " 


222  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  H2S  SON 'S 

"  Doesn't  relish  us." 

"  Fancies  we  shan't  be  tender  after  getting  out  of  prison 
so  recently." 

Young  Jack  and  Harry  were  only  just  out  of  the  jaws  of 
death,  and  already  they  were  joking. 

"  Have  you  got  your  wind  yet,  Harry  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Then  follow  me.  I  can  see  a  sort  of  archway  in  the 
prison  wall,  and  a  boat,  I  think." 

"  Hah  !  "  cried  Harry,  "  I  remember." 

And  turning  easily  over,  he  shot  out  for  the  prison  wall. 

A  few  strokes  brought  them  in  sight  of  a  flight  of  stone 
steps  under  the  archway. 

And  as  they  catch  sight  of  the  steps  on  ahead,  they  become 
conscious  that  they  are  being  pursued  by  another  of  those 
ravenous  beasts  of  which  Barthes  and  Fleon  were  talking 
in  such  cruel  levity. 

"  Quicker,  Harry,  quicker,  old  lad !  "  gasps  young  Jack. 

"  Right ;  I  see." 

Three  vigorous  strokes,  and  Harry  grasps  a  chain  fastened 
to  a  staple  in  the  wall  to  which  a  boat  is  moored. 

He  is  on  the  steps. 

Then  grappling  with  young  Jack,  he  helps  him  up  with 
a  desperate  jerk. 

Just  in  time. 

Hardly  are  they  landed  when  the  hideous  monster  shoots 
past  him. 

"  Ugh  !  you  beast !  "  growled  young  Jack. 

And  he  shook  his  fist  at  the  shark,  while  the  latter,  after 
shooting  past,  turned  round  and  paddled  leisurely  back, 
making  sure  of  them  yet. 

But  they  were  not  left  long  at  liberty  to  enjoy  the  shark's 
disappointment,  for  they  were  startled  by  a  great  noise  and 
commotion  going  forward  in  the  prison. 

Young  Jack  looked  inquiringly  at  his  companion. 

"-Our  absence  discovered  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  so.     Let  us  make  tracks  as  soon  as  we  can.  " 

With  this  they  set  to  work  to  loosen  the  boat. 

It  took  them  some  little  time  to  force  the  padlock  which 
held  the  chain  to  the  staple,  but  together  they  accomplished  it. 

Then,  lowering  their  sculls,  they  pushed  out  to  sea. 

"Free,"  murmured  young  Jack,  exultantly;  "free  at 
last." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


223 


"  Don't  be  too  fast." 

Now  each  took  a  scull,  and  with  long,  deep  strokes  they 
pulled  for  their  own  safe  part  of  the  coast. 

Wind  and  tide  were  in  their  favour,  and  they  shot  through 
the  water  at  racing  pace. 

"  Pull  round ;  here's  our  place.     Now  for  it." 

"  Both  together,"  said  Harry  Girdwood,  excitedly. 

Three  long,  vigorous  strokes,  and  the  boat  ground  far  up 
high  and  dry  upon  the  shingle. 

They  ran  on  wildly. 

And  now  the  villa  was  in  sight,  which  fact  made  them 
increase  their  speed. 

Ah,  how  their  young  hearts  beat  at  the  sight  of  it. 

"  Won't  they  be  surprised  ?  " 

"  And  pleased." 

"  And  shan't  we  ?  Ah,  me  !  Hello  !  who's  this  coming 
here  ?  Why,  blow  me,  Harry,  do  you  see  who  it  is  ? " 

"Of  course  ;  it's  old  King  Mole." 

"  Mr.  Mole,  Mr.  Mole,  Mr.  Mole !  "  they  both  yelled  out. 
"  Here  we  are  safe  back  !  " 

The  old  gentleman  staggered  back  in  sheer  amazement. 

"  Is  it  possible  ?  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Surely — yet,  no  ;  it 
can't  be." 

"  Can't  it  though  ?  " 

And  to  put  all  doubt  at  rest,  they  each  seized  hold  of  a 
hand  and  nearly  dragged  him  off  his  frail  supports. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

RESTORED — GENERAL    REJOICINGS — HOW     MR.     MOLE    WAS 

CRUELLY  MALIGNED FATHER  AND  SON — THE  DEATH  KNELL 

AND  THE  REPRIEVE — "  SOON  WE  WEIGH  ANCHOR  " — GOOD- 
BYE TO  GREECE. 

"MRS.  HARKAWAY?" 
"  Who's  there  ? " 

"  Me ;  your  obsequious  humble  to  command." 
"  Good  gracious  !  " 

And  then  upon  the  other  side  of  the  door  Mrs.  Harkaway 
was  heard  to  whisper — 

"  It's  Mr.  Mole.     I  declare  he  is  quite  tipsy." 


224  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  7/7.9  SOWS 

"  You  are  right  there,  my  dear  Mrs.  Harkaway,"  responded 
the  gallant  Isaac ;  "  more  than  tipsy — obfuscated,  groggy — 
excuse  the  slangy  phrase — tight — not  with  liquor,  but  yet 
full  of  spirits — figuratively  speaking." 

"  Whatever  is  he  talking  about?"  muttered  Mrs.  Hark- 
away. 

"  About  introducing  a  young  gentleman  to  you,"  replied 
Mole,  who  overheard  every  word,  but  who  was  too  over- 
joyed with  recent  events  to  take  umbrage  at  any  thing  now. 

"  Excuse  me  just  now,  Mr.  Mole,"  replied  the  lady.  "  I — 
I  am  dressing." 

"  Humph !  " 

Young  Jack  was  bursting  with  impatience  to  push  him 
aside  and  rush  into  his  mother's  arms. 

But  Mr.  Mole  restrained  him. 

"  The  young  gentleman  I  would  introduce,  my  dear  Mrs. 
Harkaway,  brings  us  news  of  our  young  Jack." 

"  Hah ! " 

A  cry  of  joy,  delight,  anxiety,  fear,  hope,  all  commingled, 
burst  from  the  mother  of  our  young  hero. 

The  door  was  opened,  and  Mrs.  Harkaway  stood  upon  the 
threshold. 

She  stared  confusedly  at  the  two  boys. 

"  Mother !  " 

"Jack!" 

No  more. 

In  a  moment  they  were  locked  in  each  other's  arms. 

"  Oh,  Jack,  Jack ! "  exclaimed  the  astonished  mother. 
" Where  have  you  been?  Now  that  you  are  come  back,  I 
may  tell  you  I  feared  I  should  never  see  you  again." 

Jack's  eyes  filled  with  tears. 

He  kissed  her  tenderly  and  held  out  his  hand  to  Harry. 

"  Here,  mother  dear,"  he  said  ;  "  there  is  a  sweet  little 
cherub  that  sits  up  aloft  to  keep  watch  over  the  life  of  poor 
Jack — and  Harry  is  the  cherub." 

"  Hush  !  Jack." 

"  I  shan't  hush,  Harry ;  you  know  that  it's  true.  You  are 
the  cherub,  and  you  know  it.  Why,  mother,  now  that  it's 
all  over,  and  I  am  here,  I  must  tell  you  that  I  never  should 
have  been  here  if  it  hadn't  been  for  Harry." 

"  Bless  you,  Harry,"  said  Mrs.  Harkaway,  squeezing  his 
hand. 

Just  then,  Mr.  Mole,  who  had  felt  a  tingling  sensation  at 


AD  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  22$ 

the  nose,  and  fearing  that  he  was  about  to  disgrace  his 
manly  reputation  by  a  tear,  had  retired,  came  stumping  back 
with  some  news. 

"  Here  comes  Jack — old  Jack,  I  mean.  Here's  luck  for  us." 

A  well-known  footstep  was  heard,  and  Jack  Harkaway 
entered  the  room. 

As  his  eye  fell  upon  Harry  Girdwood,  he  started  back, 
and  the  colour  forsook  his  cheek. 

Then  he  caught  sight  of  his  boy,  and  he  gave  a  cry  of 
delight  as  he  held  open  his  arms. 

Young  Jack  flew  to  him. 

"Come  here,  Harry,"  cried  Harkaway;  "here,  my  boy — 
for  you  are  a  second  son  to  me." 

And  the  two  boys  were  soon  locked  in  his  arms. 

For  some  minutes  not  a  word  was  spoken. 

His  heart  was  too  full  for  speech,  but  whilst  they  were 
thus  engaged — engrossed  by  their  own  happiness — a  deep 
sound  was  heard. 

A  dismal,  moaning  sound. 

A  bell  that  sounded  like  a  distant  funeral  knell. 

What  was  it  ? 

Harkaway  started  up  at  the  mournful  sound. 

'  Hark  !  "  he  exclaimed.     "  Do  you  hear  that  ? " 

'  Yes." 

'  What  is  it  ? " 

'  An  execution." 

'  Where  ? " 

'  At  the  prison." 

'  Of  whom  ? " 

'  The  brigands." 

'  The  villains  have  earned  their  fates  right  well." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  exclaimed  Jack  Harkaway,  hurriedly  ;  "  but 
this  execution  must  not  take  place,  though  Tomaso  was  shot 
yesterday." 

"  Tomaso,  the  brigand,"  cried  young  Jack ,  "  then  why 
not  the  rest  of  the  brigands." 

"  Why  ?  Because  it  is  unjust,  for  the  men  condemned  to 
suffer  death  have  been  sentenced  for  murdering  you,  my 
own  boys." 

As  the  word  was  uttered,  there  was  a  loud  commotion, 
and  Theodora  burst  into  the  room. 

She  gave  a  cry  on  seeing  the  two  boys,  and  rushed  up 
joyfully  to  Harry  Girdwood. 
15 


226  JA  CK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

"Thank  Heaven  you  are  safe,"  she  said  hysterically; 
"  but  my  own  brave  boy,  do  you  hear  ?  Do  you  know  that 
that  bell  sounds  the  death-knell  of  men  who,  bad  and  wicked 
as  they  are,  have  been  wrongfully  condemned  ? " 

"  I  know." 

"  Yes,  my  girl,"  said  Harkaway ;  "  we  know — but  there  is 
yet  time  to  save  them.  Come  on,  to  the  prison." 

They  all  left  precipitately,  and  in  a  very  brief  space  of 
time  they  were  at  the  prison  and  the  brigands  respited. 

As  young  Jack  said,  they  had  earned  the  full  penalty  of 
the  law. 

But  they  would  not  have  it  upon  their  consciences  that 
these  lawless  ruffians  should  suffer  for  a  crime  which  they 
had  not  committed. 

"  There  is  one  strange  fact  about  this,"  said  the  governor 
of  the  prison  to  Harkaway,  "  and  that  is,  that  one  of  the 
prisoners  has  taken  the  liberty  of  respiting  himself." 

1  Which  one  ? " 

'  The  Englishman  Hunston." 

'  What,  Hunston  escaped  !  " 

'  Impossible." 

'  Indeed  it  is  not." 

'  But  how  ? — when  ?  Why  Hunston  any  more  than  the 
others  ? " 

"  We  can  only  give  a  guess,"  said  the  governor,  "  but  it  is 
a  good  one.  His  gaoler  has  disappeared  with  him  ;  the  rest 
is  not  a  difficult  matter  to  guess." 

It  was  quite  true. 

Hunston,  Harkaway's  old  schoolfellow  and  bitter  roe,  had 
once  more  contrived  to  elude  justice. 

Both  had  disappeared — prisoner  and  gaoler  with  him. 

"  I'm  sorry  for  that,"  said  Harkaway,  "for  it  would  have 
been  a  good  thing  to  take  care  of  that  double-dyed  traitor  , 
but  no  matter,  we  shall  have  nothing  to  fear  from  him  now  ; 
we  have  had  enough  of  this  place." 

"  Are  we,  then,  to  leave  Greece,  dad  ? " 

"  Yes,  all  our  preparations  are  made,  and  in  a  few  days, 
we  will  weigh  anchor  and  get  away  from  romantic  Greece, 
and  its  precious  scoundrels  and  brigands. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  22J 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

THE  LAST  OF  THE  BRIGAND  BAND — HUNSTON's  PERIL — HIS  WAN- 
DERINGS— STARVATION  IN  THE  MIDST  OF  PLENTY — ON  THE 
LANDING  STAGE  AT  NIGHT AN  ADVENTURE. 

AND  what  of  the  band  ? 

Where  was  it  ? 

The  fear-stricken  few  remaining  of  this  once  formidable 
host  hid  themselves  in  the  recesses  of  the  mountains,  lurk- 
ing, like  thieves  and  miscreants  as  they  were,  in  retired  nooks 
and  crannies. 

And  so  their  lives  grew  wretched. 

Their  famous  recruit,  Geoffrey,  who  was  such  a  famous 
hand  at  bringing  in  plunder  every  day,  disappeared. 

And  with  him  disappeared  all  the  booty  he  had  brought 
them. 

Altogether,  therefore,  this  Geoffrey  was  not  so  much  of 
an  advantage  to  them  as  they  had  at  first  supposed. 

And  with  the  disappearance  of  Geoffrey,  the  sham  brigand, 
we  have  to  chronicle  the  sudden  return  of  our  old  friend, 
Dick  Harvey,  to  his  beloved  Harkaways. 

And  what  of  Toro,  the  giant  brigand  ? 

He  was  completely  lost  sight  of  for  awhile. 

No  one  knew  what  had  become  of  him. 

Hunston's  first  care  on  getting  free  from  the  prison  was 
to  get  into  the  mountain  fastnesses,  in  search  of  his  old  com- 
rade, Toro. 

But  he  could  not  discover  the  least  trace  of  his  old  com- 
rade. 

He  skulked  about  at  night  and  fled  to  sleep  in  the  mount- 
ains by  day,  shrinking  at  the  'echo  of  his  own  footfalls — 
starting  at  his  own  shadow. 

"  My  curses  light  upon  the  Harkaways  one  and  all,"  was 
the  speech  ever  upon  his  tongue ;  "  they  have  been  my  bane 
— my  curse  through  life." 

He  resolved  to  get  away  from  this  place. 

Yes  ;  he  would  fly. 

But  how  ? 

Here  was  he  well-nigh  starving  in  the  midst  of  plenty, 


228  JACK  HARK  A  WAY  AND  HIS  SOWS 

possessed  of  a  sum  of  money  which  was  a  small  fortune  in 
that  land,  and  yet  he  dare  not  change  or  part  with  it. 

This  life  grew  unendurable,  and  he  resolved  at  all  hazard* 
to  change  it. 

Yes ;  he  would  get  away  from  this  place  at  once. 

Soon  after  dusk,  he  ventured,  well  disguised,  into  the  town 
and  down  to  the  water  side,  and  lolling  about,  he  soon 
chanced  to  hear  something  which  greatly  interested  him. 

A  group  of  French  sailors  were  smoking,  and  gossiping 
upon  a  subject  which  caught  his  attention  as  soon  as  he 
heard  a  name  mentioned. 

Harkaway. 

"  Yes ;  Mr.  Harkaway  and  friends  are  going  away  to- 
morrow," said  one  of  the  sailors,  who  appeared  to  be  a  petty 
officer. 

"  I  shall  come  down  and  see  the  ladies  go  on  board,"  said 
one  of  the  sailors. 

'  No,  you  won't,"  laughed  the  former  speaker. 

'Why  not?" 

'  You're  too  late." 

4  They're  not  on  board  already,  surely  ?  " 

'  Indeed,  they  are." 

'  They  start  early." 

'  They  weigh  anchor  at  daybreak,  I  hear." 

'  Ah,  well,"  said  the  other  sailor,  joining  in  ;  "  they'll  miss 
Monsieur  Harkaway  here,  for  he's  as  rich  as  Croesus."  . 

'  Or  Monte  Christo,"  said  another,  laughingly. 

'  Aye,  that  he  is,"  said  another  sailor.  "  I  was  here  when 
the  ladies  went  on  board,  and  I  was  lucky  enough  to  be  able 
to  render  some  little  service  to  Madam  Harkaway." 

"  What  was  it  ? " 

"  It  is  not  worth  repeating,"  replied  this  modest  Gallic 
tar.  "  All  I  know  is,  that  Monsieur  Harkaway  made  such  a 
fuss  about  it  that  he  would  insist  upon  my  going  on  board 
with  him  to  drink  their  health." 

"  And  you  went  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  and  we  swam  in  good  wine.  And  when  I  came 
away,  it  was  with  pockets  full  of  cigars  and  money  to  stand 
treat  to  you  all  round." 

"  What   a  splendid  fellow  this  Monsieur  Harkaway  is." 

"Aye,  that  he  is." 

And  amidst  these  words  of  praise  Hunston  slunk  away, 
gnashing  his  teeth  in  rage  and  bitterness. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


229 


"  Hang  him  !  "  he  muttered  ;  "  his  old  brag  and  osten- 
tation have  caught  these  fools !  I  wonder  where  his 
vessel  is  ?  If  I  could  fire  a  torpedo  under  it  and  send 
them  all  where  young  Jack  and  the  other  boy  have  gone 
to,  I  shouldn't  have  a  dull  moment  for  the  rest  of  my 
life." 

And  the  ruffian  chuckled  to  himself  maliciously. 

"  Ah,  but  I  was  one  with  them,"  he  muttered,  "  when  I 
had  their  precious  boy  and  that  Harry  Girdwood  shot  like 
dogs  that  they  were.  Ah  !  that  was  grand.  Those  were 
crumbs  of  comfort." 

And  rubbing  his  hands  and  chuckling,  he  rambled  on. 

He  paused  presently  upon  coming  to  a  long,  wooden  land- 
ing stage,  jutting  out  a  long  way  to  sea. 

Arrived  at  the  head  of  the  jetty,  he  looked  out  earnestly 
seaward,  in  the  endeavour  to  trace  out  which  of  the  many 
ships  in  the  offing  could  be  the  Harkaways'  vessel. 

"  Well,  well,"  he  murmured  to  himself,  "  I  don't  care 
much,  for  I  don't  see  what  I  could  do  if  I  knew  it.  I  could 
only  send  my  blessing  straight  after  it — hah,  hah  !  But  with 
Harkaway's  departure,  I  can  breathe  more  freely.  I  have 
only  to  get  over  a  few  weeks  quietly,  and  then  all  the  dust 
which  he  has  kicked  up  will  blow  over,  and  I  can  live  quietly 
upon  his  money  like  a  gentleman,  until  I  decide  upon  the 
next  step." 

While  he  sat  thus  looking  out  to  sea,  his  attention  was 
suddenly  attracted  shorewards. 

"  Confusion  ! "  he  ejaculated,  starting  up ;  "  there's  some- 
one coming  along  the  jetty." 

It  was  true. 

Two  sailors  and  a  woman  came  sauntering  along  the  land- 
ing stage,  chatting  as  they  came. 

There  was  barely  room  for  four  abreast  upon  the  narrow 
wooden  pier,  and  consequently  they  might  recognize  him, 
providing  they  had  heard  the  description  of  him. 

"  What  an  ass  I  was  to  come  here,"  muttered  Hunston  ; 
"  to  drive  myself  into  a  corner." 

He  looked  round. 

They  did  not  appear  to  notice  him. 

Not  yet  at  least. 

So  he  crouched  down,  and  lowered  himself  into  a  boat, 
which  was  moored  to  one  of  the  end  piles. 

Beneath  the  end  of  the  jetty  was  a  series  of  crossbars 


230  JA  CK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

and  beams,  resting  upon  the  low  range  of  piles,  which  indeed 
served  as  the  main  foundation  for  the  whole  structure. 

So  Hunston  clambered  nimbly  out  of  the  boat  into  this 
species  of  scaffolding. 

Here  he  lay  at  full  length,  listening  for  the  approach  of 

these  three  people. 

*  *  *  #  *       •      * 

"  You  had  better  come  ashore  now,  miss,"  said  one  of  the 
sailors. 

"  No,  no,"  replied  Mrs.  Harkaway's  new  maid. 

"  But  you'll  never  be  up  in  time  if  you  go  to  bed  at 
all." 

"  Oh,  yes,  Mistaire  Saileur,  I  get  up  at  the  hour  which  I 
like ;  I  shall  go  on  board  at  three  o'clock,"  said  the  wilful 
girl.  "  I  shall  get  the  seasickness  quite  early  enough,  I 
know.  Besides,  I  don't  like  the  water  when  it  so  dark." 

"  The  moon  will  be  up  directly." 

Jack  Tiller  was  right. 

The  moon  just  then  burst  through  a  thick  cloud,  and 
shot  a  ray  of  silvery  light  just  upon  the  spot  where  the 
girl  was  kneeling. 

It  fell  across  a  living  face  just  below  the  flooring  of  the 
jetty. 

A  face  rendered  ghastly  white  by  the  action  of  the  moon- 
light, with  eyes  upturned  in  eagerness  and  expectation. 

A  startling  sight. 

A  weird  and  ghastly  object  to  come  suddenly  before  the 
strongest  nerve. 

She  started  back,  and  sprang  to  her  feet. 

Then,  with  a  piercing  shriek,  she  fled. 

The  sailors  looked  aghast,  staring  at  each  other  for 
explanations. 

"  Let's  after  her,  Jack  !  "  cried  one ;  "  she'll  be  overboard 
double  quick  if  she  fouls  agin  them  blessed  bulwarks.  It's 
as  rotten  as  tinder." 

Off  they  ran,  and  they  tried  all  they  could  to  bring  the 
girl  back. 

But  she  had  had  such  a  scare  that  she  would  not  hear 
of  it. 

She  had  seen  a  man  hiding  there. 

"  Bah  !  "  cried  Jack  Tiller,  "  why  should  a  man  hide  away 
from  us  ?  " 

"  Yes,  that's  it,  miss,  why  ?  " 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


231 


"  I  don't  care,  I  know  it  was  a  man.  I  knew  the  face.  I 
have  seen  it  in  madame's  book  of  photographs." 

"  The  dooce  you  did." 

"  Who  was  it  ?  " 

"  One  of  the  brigands.    The  likeness  was  taken  in  prison." 

This  made  the  gallant  tars  laugh  again. 

"  That's  the  natural  bogey  hereabouts,"  said  Joe  Basalt; 
"  damme  if  I  believe  half  their  yarns  about  the  brigands." 

"  Nor  I  neither." 

And  so,  failing  to  persuade  the  girl  to  go  on  board  then, 
they  went  back  up  the  jetty,  dropped  into  their  boat,  and, 
unlocking  it,  rowed  out  to  sea. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

A  TRIP  BY  WATER — BOAT,  AHOY  ! — A  COMPACT  FOR  MONEY— « 
THE  STOWAWAY  ON  BOARD  THE  "  WESTWARD  HO  !  " — HIJ 
VISION — IN  THE  HANDS  OF  THE  PHILISTINES. 

HUNSTON  had  overheard  every  word  uttered. 

The  full  sense  of  his  danger  flashed  across  him. 

He  was  watched,  he  felt  sure. 

"  Not  yet,"  said  Hunston  to  himself,  "  not  yet.  Soonei 
than  let  them  get  hold  of  me,  I'd  lay  my  bones  at  the  bottom 
of  the  sea." 

With  which  intention  he  dropped  into  the  water. 

But  he  did  not  even  touch  the  bottom,  for  before  he  had 
got  far  under,  he  struck  out,  and  after  taking  a  dozen  strokes; 
under  water,  he  came  to  the  surface. 

"  That's  another  narrow  squeak, "  he  said  to  himself,  as 
he  took  in  a  deep  draught  of  air.  "  The  last  time  I  had 
to  swim  for  it  was  in  Cuba,  and  a  narrow  squeak  it  was 
too." 

He  had  been  rescued  on  that  memorable  occasion  by  his 
enemy,  Jack  Harkaway  himself. 

"  Well,  this  squares  that  old  account,"  he  said,  turning 
over  on  his  back  to  float.  "  He  saved  me  last  time.  He's 
the  cause  this  time  of  my  having  to  take  this  risk." 

He  began  to  look  anxiously  about  him. 

There  was  a  boat  at  no  great  distance  being  rowed  by  two 
men,  so  Hunston  thought  of  signalling  them. 


232  JA CK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  Suppose  they  are  some  of  those  wretched  Greeks,  and 
recognise  me  ?  " 

He  gave  it  up. 

But  he  could  hardly  keep  himself  afloat  now. 

What  if  they  did  recognise  him  ? 

Would  they  give  him  up  ? 

Perhaps. 

Well,  at  the  worst  they  could  only  take  his  life  for  his 
misdeeds,  and  his  life  was  in  sore  jeopardy  now. 

So  he  resolved  to  hail  the  men  in  the  boat. 

*  *  *  *  *  # 

"  Boat  ahoy  !  " 

"  Hullo  !  " 

"  Man  overboard  !  " 

The  signal  of  the  sinking  man  caught  the  quick  ears  of 
the  two  men  in  the  boat,  and  they  pulled  towards  him  double 
quick. 

Hunston  caught  hold  of  the  side  of  the  boat. 

"  This  arm.  Catch  under  my  armpit.  There  ,•  thanks, 
I've  hurt  the  other." 

Barely  rescued  from  the  jaws  of  death,  and  yet  all  his 
coolness  and  presence  of  mind  had  come  back  to  him. 

In  a  trice  he  was  lying  at  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  panting 
and  waiting  to  recover  his  breath  to  renew  his  thanks  for 
their  service. 

"  Why,  mounseer,  you  speak  English,"  said  one  of  the 
sailors. 

Hunston  nodded. 

"  I  am  English." 

"  So  are  we." 

"  I  guessed  as  much,"  retorted  Hunston,  "  by  the  way 
you  pulled  to  help  a  poor  devil.  It  was  nearly  all  over  with 
me." 

"  Just  in  time.     Well,  that's  one  to  us,  messmate." 

"  Yes,  and  you'll  find  that  I'm  able  to  reward  you  with 
something  more  solid  than  thanks." 

"  Get  along ;  me  and  my  mate  here  don't  save  lives  at  so 
much  an '  ed." 

"  I  believe  you,"  said  Hunston,  "  but  I  should  be  a  villain 
if  I  did  not  do  something  handsome  for  you  if  I  could." 

"  I  tell  you  what,  mate,  you  shall  lug  me  and  my  mate  out 
of  the  water." 

"  When  you  get  the  chance,"  laughed  the  other. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  233 

"  Jes'  so." 

"  How  came  you  there,  though  ?  "  demanded  the  former 
sailor,  suddenly. 

"  It's  a  long  story,"  said  Hunston,  taking  breath,  and 
thinking  up  a  good  plausible  "  whacker  "  ;  "  so  I'll  tell  you 
without  all  the  details." 

"  Do." 

"  There's  a  very  rich  and  powerful  man  in  this  place,  who 
has  a  very  lovely  wife.  Well,  this  lady " 

"  Casts  sheep's  eyes  at  you." 

"  Ha,  ha  !  " 

"  Well,  that  is  about  it,"  returned  Hunston,  laughingly. 
"  It's  no  fault  of  mine.  I'm  sure  I  never  encouraged  her. 
But  her  husband  is  precious  jealous,  and  the  consequence  is 
that  he  had  got  me  out  to  sea  in  a  boat  with  a  gang  of  mur- 
derers  " 

"  The  swabs  !  " 

"  Marlinspikes  and  grampuses  1  "  cried  the  other. 

"  They  were  going  to  practise  a  curious  trick  upon  me. 
It  is  an  institution  of  their  neighbours  and  masters,  the 
Turks,  and  they  call  it  the  bowstring." 

"  D — n  their  fiddling,"  ejaculated  one  of  the  sailors ;  "I'd 
like  to  have  'em  here  just  awhile.  I'd  bowstring  'em  and  show 
'em  what  black  eyes,  and  good  old  English  fisticuffs  mean." 

"  I  don't  think  that  they  would  care  to  be  instructed  in 
that,"  said  Hunston. 

"  I'd,  I'd " 

"  Let  the  gentleman  go  on,"  said  the  other. 

"  Well,  the  fact  is,  I  got  out,  jumped  overboard  and 
capsized  the  boat  in  my  struggling,  and  some  of  them,  I  dare 
say,  have  gone  to  the  bottom." 

"  Hurrah  !  "  shouted  one  of  the  sailors. 

"  Hurrah  !  " 

"  I  hope  you  finished  off  the  lot  of  the  swabs." 

"  I  don't  think  that.  But  anyhow,  I'd  give  a  trifle  if  I 
could  get  clear  out  of  this  place." 

"  I  can  tell  you  how  to  do  it." 

"  You  can  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  That's  jolly." 

"  Easily  done." 

And  then  the  sailor  suggested  bringing  him  aboard  their 
ship  and  introducing  him  to  the  skipper. 


234  JA  CK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SONS 

Hunston  listened  and  then  shook  his  head. 

H  What,"  exclaimed  the  sailor,  "  won't  do  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Why  ?  " 

"  I'll  tell  you  ;  a  blessed  outcry  would  be  raised,  and  the 
skipper  would  be  forced  to  give  me  up  to  be  tried." 

"  Well,  they  would  not  dare  to  play  false." 

"  Not  while  there  was  a  British  man-o'-war  in  the  harbour  ; 
but  nothing  short  of  that  would  prevent  the  villains  doing 
any  thing  they  liked  with  me.  They  would  go  through  the 
mockery  of  a  trial  with  me,  and  I  should  be  condemned  to 
death  beforehand." 

"  The  wampires." 

"  Wuss  wuss,  nor  wampires,  Joe,"  said  the  other  sailor, 
wagging  his  head  gravely. 

"  There  is  only  one  way  to  get  out  of  this  scrape,"  said 
Hunston. 

"  Out  with  it  then." 

"  Why,  earn  forty  pounds  apiece  and  stow  me  away  on  board 
in  the  hold,  anywhere,  until  you  are  out  at  sea,"  said  the 
fugitive. 

The  two  sailors  looked  hard  at  each  other. 

'  Can't  do  it." 

'  No." 

1  Why  not  ?  " 

'  Un  possible." 

*  I'll  tell  you  why  not.  Our  skipper  is  the  best  commander 
afloat,  on'y  he  won't  have  no  nonsense.  We  daresn't  do  it, 
we  daresn't." 

"  Right,  Joe." 

"  Now,  harkye,  messmates,"  said  Hunston.  "  I'm  not  the 
man  to  get  any  man  to  fail  in  his  duty  ;  I  wouldn't  insult  you 
by  mentioning  it.  But  mark  my  words,  your  skipper  would 
be  the  first  man  to  approve  of  such  an  act." 

They  shook  their  heads. 

"  Not  he." 

"  I  know  he  would,  if  what  you  say  of  him  is  right ;  only, 
d'ye  see,  he'd  think  it  his  duty  to  give  me  up  for  a  fair  trial. 
Well,  and  what  would  be  the  result  of  that  ?  Why,  as  soon 
as  you  had  set  sail,  they'd  just  do  what  they  liked  with  me,  and 
you'd  never  hear  of  me  again  in  this  world,  whereas  if  I  was 
concealed  unknown  to  the  skipper,  he'd  only  be  too  glad 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


235 


afterwards  to  have  such  a  good  action  done  on  board  his 
ship  without  his  having  failed  in  his  duty." 

They  listened  to  this,  and  listening  they  were  lost. 

That  night  Hunston  slept  in  the  hold  of  a  ship,  the  two 
sailors  having  contrived  to  smuggle  him  on  board  with  the 
greatest  secrecy. 

It  had  been  a  difficult  task  for  them,  and  indeed  the  sailors 
well  earned  the  money  which  he  gave  them. 

Not  a  soul  on  board  the  ship,  with  the  exception  of  the 
two  sailors,  had  the  least  idea  of  his  presence  there. 

They  contrived  to  make  him  up  a  very  snug  hiding-place 
behind  some  barrels  of  sugar  and  salt  pork. 

And  here  they  brought  him  food  turn  and  turn  about. 

And  so  he  chuckled  to  himself  by  day  and  night  at  the  way 
in  which  he  had  defeated  his  enemies,  and  escaped  from 

Greek  justice. 

*  ***** 

For  three  days  and  three  nights  he  lay  snug  and  quiet. 

This  was  the  most  prudent  course. 

But  long  before  the  third  night  was  over,  Hunston  had 
grown  weary  and  heartsick  of  this  close  confinement. 

He  had  a  sharp  attack  of  the  blues. 

He  got  drink  from  the  sailors  and  drank  heavily  to  kill 
dull  care,  and  this  defeated  its  own  end. 

He  fell  off  into  a  heavy  sleep  and  dreamt  all  sorts  of 
terrible  things. 

He  thought  that  without  knowing  it  he  had  fallen  into  the 
power  of  the  Harkaways  again  ;  that  in  flying  from  them  he 
had  suddenly,  when  he  thought  himself  miles  away  from 
them  and  from  imminent  danger,  fallen  into  their  arms. 

And  so  went  his  alarming  dream,  when  his  worst  enemies 
were  assembled  in  judgment  over  him.  Jack  Harkaway, 
Harvey,  and  Jefferson,  together,  being  his  judges,  the  latter 
places  were  suddenly  taken  by  three  visitors  from  the  other 
world. 

These  were  Harry  Girdwood,  young  Jack,  and  oh,  horror! 
Robert  Emmerson,  his  murdered  friend. 

His  three  visitors. 

And  these  three  threatened  and  put  him  to  tortures  un- 
imaginable, until  he  raved,  stormed,  and  wept  by  turns  ;  and 
then,  broken  in  body  and  in  spirit,  he  prostrated  himself 
before  them  and  begged  them  to  kill  him,  and  in  this 
horrible  phase  of  his  vision  he  jyroaned  so  loudly  that  he 


236  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

awoke,  to  find  the  perspiration  pouring  off  him  in  a  regular 
bath. 

He  was  quivering  like  one  suddenly  stricken  with  ague. 

Not  an  inch  of  his  body  was  free  from  this  fearful  palsy. 

"  Oh,  what  would  I  give  for  the  light  now  1 "  he  thought ; 
"  will  they  never  come  ?  " 

Yes. 

What  was  that  ? 

Merciful  powers  !  his  prayer  seemed  to  be  answered. 

He  saw  the  faint  glimmering  of  a  light. 

Yes,  it  was  coming  this  way. 

What  a  relief ! 

He  drew  a  long,  long  sigh. 

The  light  stopped  suddenly. 

Then  it  was  shaded  from  the  part  of  the  hold  in  which  he 
was  hiding. 

What  could  it  mean  ? 

Silence  was  around  him. 

He  stretched  forward  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the  light, 
and  there  he  saw  that  which  froze  the  very  marrow  in  his 
bones  with  fright. 

The  light  was  all  reflected  upon  a  young,  handsome  face 
which  he  knew  but  too  well — so  real,  so  vivid,  so  lifelike. 

The  face,  too,  with  the  deathly  hue  of  the  grave  upon  it. 

It  was  young  Jack's  face,  but  looking  to  Hunston's 
frightened  eyes  pale  as  death. 

Hunston  stared  ;  his  optics  dilated  and  appeared  ready  to 
start  from  their  sockets. 

He  gasped,  made  an  effort  to  articulate,  and  then  his 
senses  forsook  him,  and  he  became  unconscious. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

HUNSTON'S  PERIL — BLACK  VISIONS — A  DREAM  OF  VENGEANCE — 
AN  UNKNOWN  DANGER  TO  THE  "  WESTWARD  HO  1  " 

AN  explanation  of  the  foregoing  is  scarcely  necessary,  we 
believe. 

You  bear  in  mind,  of  course,  that  Hunston  was  utterly 
ignorant  of  the  miraculous  escape  of  his  destined  victims- 
young  Jack  and  Harry  Girdwood. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  237 

You  must  bear  in  mind,  too,  that  although  you,  friend 
reader,  may  give  a  shrewd  guess  at  the  truth,  Hunston  had 
not  the  remotest  notion  of  where  he  was. 

This  said,  you  may  perhaps  understand  the  fearful  effect 
of  this  waking  vision  upon  the  guilty  wretch. 

Bear  in  mind  that  he  had  been  lurking  in  a  close  and  sti- 
fling hold,  into  which  no  single  ray  of  sunlight  penetrated, 
for  three  whole  days — three  long  nights. 

Unwelcome  conscience  tapped  and  would  not  be  deceived. 

A  man  with  the  guilt  of  Hunston  upon  his  mind  could  not 
afford  to  be  alone — nay,  nor  in  the  dark  either. 


When  he  recovered  consciousness,  his  first  sensations  were 
of  burning  in  the  throat,  and  opening  his  eyes,  he  found  him- 
self being  cared  tenderly  for  by  one  of  the  sailors  who  had 
brought  him  there. 

"  Come,  come,  I  say,  mister,"  said  the  honest  tar,  who  had 
had  a  bit  of  a  fright  on  finding  Hunston's  condition,  "  this 
won't  do,  you  know." 

"  I  am  better  now,"  murmured  Hunston,  faintly. 

"  You  are  a  little,  precious  little.  You  will  have  to  come 
on  deck  now,  and  chance  what  the  skipper  says  about  the 
job." 

"  Yes,  yes ;  I  will,"  said  Hunston,  waking  up. 

"  He  can't  kill  us." 

"  Nor  eat  me,"  said  the  stowaway,  with  a  sickly  smile. 

"  Not  he." 

"  Any  thing  is  better  than  remaining  longer  here.  I  believe 
I  should  die  if  I  did." 

"  Then  up  you  come  at  once,  as  sure  as  my  name's  Jack 
Tiller." 

"  Tell  me,  my  friend,"  Hunston  said ;  "  whither  are  we 
bound?" 

*'  For  the  Red  Sea." 

"  Pheugh  !    A  long  cruise  ?  " 

"Well,  yes." 

"  And  then  we  are  going  further  yet,  and  to  travel  on  until 
we  touch  the  coast  of  Australy." 

"  The  deuce  ! " 

"  That's  it,  sir." 

"  What's  the  name  of  the  vessel?" 

The  sailor  laughed. 


338  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  What  makes  you  grin  ? " 

"  Why,  I  was  wondering,  messmate,  why  you  never  asked 
that  before." 

"  My  thoughts  were  too  full  of  getting  away." 

"  Ah,  of  course." 

"  What  is  her  name  ? " 

"  The  '  Westward  Ho ! '  She  was  formerly  the  '  Seamew,' 
and  the  owner  rechristened  her." 

"  What's  his  name  ?  " 

"The  skipper's?     Why,  captain  John  Willoughby." 

"  The  owner's  ? " 

"  Mr.  Jack  Harkaway." 

Had  a  thunderbolt  dropped  down  in  the  hold  between 
them,  Hunston  could  not  have  been  more  astonished. 

"What?" 

His  tone  startled  the  sailor. 

He  saw  it,  and  he  did  his  utmost  to  calm  himself. 

"  Who  did  you  say  ?  " 

"  Who  ? "  echoed  the  sailor.  "  Why,  who  but  Mr.  Jack 
Harkaway?  He's  well  known  enough.  Surely  you  don't 
mean  for  to  go  for  to  say  as  you  never  heard  of  him  ? " 

"  I — I  think  I  have  heard  the  name,"  muttered  Hunston. 

"  Think  !  Well,  so  do  I,  unless  you've  been  shut  up  in  so- 
litary confinement  for  the  last  fifteen  years.  Blow  me  tight, 
but  the  man  that  hadn't  heard  of  Mr.  Jack  Harkaway,  would 
be  a  living  curiosity." 

"  Jack  Harkaway  the  owner  of  this  ship  !  "  Hunston  mur- 
mured, like  one  in  a  dream,  and  relapsed  into  silence  once 
more. 

No  wonder  that  he  had  seen  that  vision. 

No  wonder  that  the  spirit  of  the  murdered  boy,  young  Jack, 
should  hover  about  the  vessel  where  his  destroyer  was  hid- 
ing—in which  his  father,  mother,  and  all  that  he  held  dear 
in  life  were  journeying. 

The  situation  grew  graver  than  ever. 

It  was  truly  an  alarming  plight,  and  the  more  he  thought  it 
over,  the  more  desperate  did  he  become. 

"  Jack  Tiller,"  said  he. 

"  Your  honour." 

"  I'll  stay  where  I  am." 

"  Oh,  very  good,"  replied  the  tar ;  "  mum's  the  word.  I 
thought  your  berth  wasn't  over  cheerful." 

Jack  Tiller  gave  a  hoist  at  his  slacks,  and  with  something 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


239 


between  a  sigh  and  a  grunt,  he  wheeled  round  and  went  on 
deck. 

****** 

"  If  I  could  only  see  my  way  out  of  this,  I  should  like  bet- 
ter than  any  thing  to  fire  the  ship,"  said  Hunston,  to  himself ; 
"  fire  it  and  watch  it  close  by,  chuckling  at  them  while  they 
roasted.  What  a  glorious  return  it  would  be  for  them.  By 
the  powers,  it  is  about  the  only  thing  I  could  do  to  wipe 
them  all  off  at  once,  all,  all !  Jack,  Harvey,  Emily,  that 
Yankee  braggart — curse  him  !  " 

And  Hunston  sat  brooding  in  the  black  and  evil-smelling 
hold  day  after  day. 

The  only  companion  of  his  solitude  being  his  own  dark 
thoughts,  his  vicious  resolves  for  vengeance. 

"  It  is  my  own  cursed  ill-luck,"  he  would  say  to  himself  again 
and  again, "  to  be  beholden  to  this  Harkaway  for  my  life. 
Why,  even  now,  he  has  saved  me  again,  saved  me  in  spite 
of  himself.  That's  the  merry  side  of  the  question." 

Merry  as  it  was,  it  never  made  him  smile. 

One  dreadful  thought  filled  his  poor  mind. 

One  fearful  fancy  took  such  complete  possession  of  him, 
that  day  and  night  he  was  brooding  on  it. 

"  Once  let  me  see  a  clear  landing,"  he  would  mutter  to 
himself,  "  once  let  me  see  my  way  straight  to  get  ashore  in  a 
safe  place,  and  then  I'll  make  the  '  Westward  Ho  ! '  too  hot 
to  hold  them.  Too  hot — ah,  yes,  a  precious  deal  too  hot  to 
hold  them,  that  I  would  ;  for  I  would  make  up  such  a  blaze 
as  they  would  never  be  able  to  extinguish." 

And  so  he  began  devoting  himself  to  the  arrangement* 
for  this  villainous  purpose. 

What  is  more,  he  got  all  his  plans  mapped  out,  all  readj 
for  the  execution  of  this  most  diabolical  deed. 

Little  did  the  happy  passengers  in  the  "  Westward  Ho  ! ': 
dream  of  the  fatal  danger  threatening  them. 

They  would  not  have  enjoyed  so  many  sweet  slumbers, 
could  they  have  had  the  faintest  inkling  of  the  truth— il 
they  had  suspected  that  near  them  was  the  villain  Hunston, 
following  them  with  a  deadly  purpose  of  revenge,  which 
seemed  to  have  increased  year  by  year  ever  since  the  school- 
days of  Jack  Harkaway. 


240  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

VOUNG  JACK'S  CONFIDENCES — HOW  TWO  INNOCENT  CONSPIRA- 
TORS REPENTED — A  CHANCE  SHOT  STRIKES  HOME. 

"  HARRY,"  said  young  Jack,  as  they  walked  up  and  down 
the  deck  arm  in  arm,  '  I  must  tell  you  something  that  has 
been  upon  my  mind  for  days  past." 

Harry  Girdwood  turned  round.  Young  Jack's  serious  man- 
ner impressed  him. 

"  What  is  it,  Jack  ?  " 

"  I  know  you'll  laugh,"  began  Jack. 

"Do  you/ Jack?"  returned  Harry  Girdwood,  promptly; 
"  that  being  the  case,  tell  me  at  once.  I  like  to  laugh,  as  you 
know." 

"  Well,  Harry,  it  hasn't  made  me  laugh.  I  was  lolling  half 
drowsily  over  the  hatchway  there,  the  other  evening,  when  I 
suppose  I  dropped  off  asleep,  and  I  dreamt  of  Hunston.  I 
dreamt  that  I  was  going  through  all  that  ugly  scene  again,  and 
while  in  the  thick  of  the  dream,  something  woke  me." 

"  Yes." 

"  What  do  you  think  it  was  ?  " 

"  Can't  say." 

"  Hunston's  voice,  moaning,  groaning  with  pain  appar- 
ently." 

Harry  Girdwood  opened  his  eyes  in  wonder  at  this  sin- 
gular speech. 

"  What  are  you  talking  about  ?  " 

"  Nonsense,  rubbish ;  is  it  not  ?  So  I  thought  since. 
But  you  know  that  sort  of  dream  when  you  wake  up  with 
t.he  vivid  effect  of  your  vision  so  strongly  upon  you,  that  the 
^ream-drama  appears  to  continue  after  you're  awake  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  that  is  exactly  what  happened  to  me.  I  heard 
Hunston  when  I  was  awake. 

There  was  something  strangely  impressive  in  his  manner 
as  he  said  this,  which  caught  Harry  Girdwood's  attention  in 
spite  of  himself. 

"  Fancy,"  he  said,  with  an  assumption  of  indifference  which 
he  was  far  from  feeling  ;  "  fancy,  my  dear  Jack." 

"Of  course,"  anwsered  young  Jack;  "  but  very  strange." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  24.1 

"  Not  exactly  strange,  either,  every  thing  considered,  after 
all  we  have  gone  through.  Why,  Jack,  you  will  hardly  be- 
lieve me  when  I  tell  you  that  I  scarcely  sleep  without  dream- 
ing of  Hunston.  And  what  is  there  wonderful  in  that,  after 
all  that  has  taken  place  ?  It  was  enough  to  shake  the  strong- 
est nerves,  to  startle  the  bravest  man  that  ever  lived." 

"  You  allude  to  the  attempted  execution  of  ourselves  ? " 
said  young  Jack. 

"  Yes  ;  and  in  spite  of  that  brave  brigand  girl's  assurances, 
there  was  great  danger  when  we  stood  upon  the  brink  of  our 
grave  with  a  firing  party  aiming  at  us." 

"  I  felt  a  good  deal  of  confidence  in  her,"  said  Jack,  "but 
I  couldn't  help  thinking  that  an  accident  in  her  calculations 
might  happen  very  easily." 

"  That's  true.  Supposing  one  of  the  bullets  had  been  left 
in?" 

"  Why,  then  one  of  us  would  have  been  food  for  worms  by 
now,  unless  the  wolves  or  bears  had  rooted  us  up  out  of  our 
graves  and  made  dinner  off  us ;  but  I  haven't  told  you  all 
about  my  vision  yet,  Harry." 

"  Did  you  dream  again  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  What  more  have  you,  then,  to  tell  ?  Out  with  it.  What 
else  was  it  ? n 

"  The  moans  I  heard  grew  more  distinct  while  I  listened, 
and  I  followed  the  sounds " 

"  In  your  sleep  ?  " 

"  No,  awake.     I  followed  the  sounds  to  the  hold." 

"  Well  ?  " 

"  They  were  plainer  heard  there.  I  pushed  my  way  over 
the  barrels  and  boxes,  and  nosed  down  in  all  the  corners 
with  my  bull's  eye  lantern,  when  suddenly  I  heard  a  half-sup- 
pressed cry,  a  violent  gasp  rather,  as  if  someone  had  too 
suddenly  found  himself  on  the  edge  of  a  precipice,  or  had 
seen  a  ghost. 
„_,"  Well,  well." 

"  Well,  at  that  very  moment  a  hand  was  placed  upon  my 
arm." 

"  Yes." 

"  I  started  back  and  drew  my  dirk,  and  then  I  found  my 
self  attacking " 

"  Mole  ? " 

"  No.    Joe  Basalt." 
16 


242  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  JJ2.S  SON 'S 

Harry  Girdwood  burst  out  laughing  at  this. 

"  So  it  was  Joe  Basalt  that  was  hiding  and  having  a  lark 
with  you  all  the  while  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  say  so,"  replied  young  Jack,  thoughtfully. 

"  Why,  then,  what,  in  the  name  of  all  that's  wonderful,  do 
you  think  it  could  have  been  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  but  Joe  Basalt  chaffed  me.  He  swore  I 
was  walking  in  my  sleep  ;  but  I  have  come  back  upon  my  old 
opinion  since  I  have  thought  the  job  over." 

"  You  mean  that  you  actually  believe  there  is  someone 
concealed  in  the  hold  ?  " 

"  Is — or  was.  Now,  you  watch  Joe  Basalt,  Harry,  and  see 
if  there  is  not  some  thing  very  strange  in  his  manner." 

"  I  will,  if  you  like,  but — good-morning,  Tiller." 

This  was  to  Jack  Tiller,  who  came  up  to  them  touching  his 
forelock. 

"  Good-morning,  Master  Jack — morning,  Master  Harry. 
We've  got  a  fishing  party  on,  gentlemen,  and  thought  as  you 
might  like  to  jine  us." 

"  Who's  going  ?  " 

M  Me  and  Sam  Mason,  Tommy  Shipwright  and  Bill  Adams^ 
Joe  Basalt  and  old  Higgy — only  that  lot  among  the  common 
folk,"  added  he,  with  a  grin. 

"  And  who  among  the  superior  class  ? "  asked  young  Jack, 
laughingly. 

"  Mr.  Mole." 

"  What,  Mr.  Mole  !     Why,  what  on  earth  is  he  going  for  ? " 

"  That's  exactly  the  p'int  of  it,  young  gentlemen." 

"How  so?" 

"  We're  going  a-fishing  with  something  new-fangled  which 
Mr.  Mole  has  inwented." 

The  two  boys  looked  at  each  other  and  grinned. 

"Larks  are  on.  Jack,"  said  Harry  Girdwood.  " I'm  in  it, 
for  one." 

"And I  too." 

"  That's  your  sort,"  cried  Joe  Basalt.  "  Mr.  Harvey's  go- 
ing, too,  and  Mr.  Jefferson ;  now  I  go  to  Mr.  Harkaway  and 
ask  his  consent." 

And  Joe  left  them  singing — 

"  Avast !  "  cries  Jack,  "  do  you  suppose 
I  ain't  a  man  my  dooty  knows  ? 
For  liberty  afore  we  goes 
To  ax  the  skipper  I  propose." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  243 

And  the  well-disciplined  sailor  went  to  Harkaway's  cabin 
and  broached  the  question. 

"  All  right,  Basalt,"  said  Harkaway ;  "  only  look  sharp  after 
the  young  gentlemen  ;  you  know  what  boys  they  are  to  get 
into  mischief." 

"  All  right,  your  honour ;  trust  me." 

"I  do,  Joe  Basalt,"  responded  Harkaway;  "I  do,  for  I 
know  that  there  was  never  a  straighter  or  truer  man  ever  trod 
a  deck  than  you  are." 

"  Come,  I  say,  your  honour,"  remonstrated  Joe  Basalt, 
modestly,  "  draw  it  mild." 

"  No  deceit  about  you,  I  know  it ;  nothing  underhand  about 
Joe  Basalt." 

A  sudden  thought  flashed  through  the  sailor's  head,  and  it 
brought  up  a  very  unpleasant  reminder. 

With  it  came  a  flush  to  his  bronzed  face. 

He  touched  his  forelock  respectfully  to  Harkaway  and  ran 
up  stairs. 

As  he  went  he  muttered  to  himself — 

"  I  felt  like  a  miserable  swab  ! "  he  muttered ;  "  a  d d, 

deceitful  son  of  a  sea-cook — that's  what  you  are,  Joe  Basalt. 
I  wish  I'd  never  had  nothing  to  do  with  that  precious  stow« 
away." 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

SHARK-FISHING BILLY     LONGBOW's    YARNS — TELL    THAT     TO 

THE    MARINES — A   NOVEL   BAIT — HOW   MR.    MOLE   HAD    THB 
LAUGH    HIS   OWN    WAY. 

THE  fishing  expedition  consisted  of  two  boat-loads. 

To  wit,  the  pinnace  and  the  cutter. 

In  the  former  were  Jefferson,  Dick  Harvey  and  four  sailors. 

In  the  cutter  were  young  Jack,  Harry  Girdwood,  Mr.  Mole, 
Joe  Basalt,  Sam  Mason,  and  Jack  Tiller. 

"Now  Jack,"  said  Mr.  Mole,  settling  himself  comfortably 
at  the  rudder  lines ;  "  and  you  too,  my  dear  Harry,  you  know, 
of  course,  we  are  going  shark-fishing.  You  understand  what 
that  is  ? " 

"  I  know  what  a  shark  is,  if  you  mean  that,"  answered 
young  Jack. 


244  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

u  Rather,"  said  Harry,  with  a  shudder  at  old  recollections ; 
"  we  had  a  white  one  after  us  once." 

"  A  white  shark !  "  said  Mr.  Mole,  beaming  upon  the  boat's 
Crew  generally.  "  Squalus  Carcharias^  the  worst  of  the  family." 

"  They  aren't  got  no  families,  axing  your  pardon,  Mr.  Mole, 
sir,"  said  Joe  Basalt,  "  for  they  eats  their  own  mothers  and 
fathers  and  children  likewise." 

"  Why,  Bill  Longbow  told  me  a  yarn  once,  your  honour," 
said  Sam  Mason,  "  about  a  white  shark.  I  mean,"  he  added, 
nodding  at  Mr.  Mole  respectfully,  "  a  squally  cockylorium — • 
a  blessed  rum  name  for  a  shark — as  devoured  all  his  family 
for  dinner,  supped  off  a  Sunday  school  out  for  a  pleasure-trip 
in  a  steamboat,  and  was  a-goin'  to  wind  up  with  a  meal  off 
his  own  blessed  self,  when  his  dexter  fin  stuck  in  his  swaller, 
and  he  brought  hisself  up  ag'in." 

A  general  laugh  greeted  this  sally. 

So  boisterous  was  their  mirth,  that  it  caught  the  occupants 
of  the  other  boat. 

"  That's  Sam  Mason  at  one  of  his  Billy  Longbow's  yarns," 
cried  a  sailor  in  the  pinnace. 

"  So  you  had  a  white  shark  after  you  in  the  water,"  said 
Mr.  Mole.  "  Rather  unpleasant  that." 

"  It  was  indeed  unpleasant  at  such  close  quarters,"  said 
Harry  Girdwood. 

"  Very  close  ?  "  demanded  Mr.  Mole. 

"  Not  further  off  than " 

"  Than  that  squally  cockylorium  is  from  you  now,  your 
honour,"  cried  Sam  Mason,  pointing  behind  Mole. 

The  old  gentleman  looked  quickly  behind  them,  and  there, 
paddling  about  the  stern,  was  a  monstrous  white  shark. 

Mr.  Mole  slid  off  his  seat  to  the  bottom  of  the  boat  with 
wonderful  celerity. 

"  Don't  like  the  look  of  him  ?  "  said  young  Jack. 

"  Ho  !  I'll  tackle  him  presently,  but  I — I  slipped  down," 
said  Mr.  Mole. 

"  So  I  see,  sir." 

"  And  I  mean  to  show  you  some  novel  sport  in  the  way  of 
shark-fishing,"  said  the  old  gentleman. 

"  You  ? " 

"  Yes." 

He  had  brought  a  large  hamper  with  him,  which  he  novtf 
proceeded  to  unpack,  the  occupants  of  the  boat  looking  on 
with  great  interest  in  the  business. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


245 


"  Billy  Longbow  told  me  a  yarn  once,"  said  the  irrepress- 
ible Sam  Mason,  "  about  a  wooden-legged  nigger." 

Mr.  Mole  looked  up. 

"  What  ? " 

"  A  wooden -legged  nigger,"  said  Sam  Mason,  touching  his 
forelock  respectfully  at  Mole.  "  No  offence,  your  honour,  to 
your  legs." 

«  Oh,  no." 

"Go  on,  Sam,"  said  young  Jack,  laughing;  "out  with 
Billy  Longbow's  yarn." 

"  This  nigger  was  stumping  along  the  banks  of  the  Nile 
one  day,  when  who  should  he  meet  but  a  blessed  bigcrocky- 
dile  about  a  hundred  feet  long." 

"Oh!" 

"  Draw  it  mild,  Sam." 

"  Well,  that's  what  Billy  Longbow  said — a  hundred  feet 
long." 

"  Oh,  damme  ! "  cried  Joe  Basalt,  "  make  it  ninety-nine, 
Sam,  for  decency  sake." 

"  I  won't  give  in  half  a  foot,"  persisted  Sam.  "  Well,  when 
Snowball  sees  Muster  Crockydile  so  near  as  there  was  no 
getting  out  of  the  way,  he  says — '  You  jist  wait  a  bit,  Massa 
Crock,  I'll  gib  yar  suffin  to  sniff  at.'  An'  so,  without  more 
ado,  he  unscrews  one  of  his  wooden  legs,  and  walks  into  the 
animal's  jaws." 

"  Oh,  oh,  oh  !  " 

A  general  groan  of  incredulity. 

"  Absurd,"  said  Mr.  Mole,  without  looking  up  from  his 
task  of  watching,  in  case  the  shark  should  again  show  itself. 

"A  fact,  sir,"  said  Sam  Mason.     "Well,  he  holds  up  his 
wooden  leg  perpendicular  and  the  greedy  crock  comes  on 
with  a  snap,  but  the  wooden  leg  was  a  trifle  more  than  he 
could  get  over ;    there  it  stuck  and  propped  his  great  ugly 
maws  wide  open;  out   crawls  Snowball,    a  kind  of   sorter 
modern  Jonah,  none  the  worse  for  it." 
'  Bravo,  Sam  !  " 
'  Ho  !  it  is  quite  true,  for  it's  Billy  Longbow's  version  of 


it, 


said  the  modest  Sam. 


1  And  is  that  all  ? " 

*  Not  quite.  He  squatted  down  upon  his  stump,  and 
prodded  the  crock  in  the  eye  with  the  other  wooden  leg  until 
he  caved  in." 

"  Oh,  oh,  oh !     Sam,  Sam  ! "  they  cried  in  a  chorus. 


246  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

By  the  time  the  laugh  had  subsided,  Mr.  Mole  was  read) 
with  his  novel  fishing-apparatus.  Novel,  indeed. 

He  took  a  soda  water  bottle,  filled  with  gunpowder  and 
tightly  corked,  and  through  the  cork  was  a  twisted  wire 
that  was  attached  to  the  line. 

The  other  end  of  the  line  was  a  small  square  box,  which 
was  furnished  with  four  handles,  similar  to  that  of  a  barrel 
organ. 

One  of  these  handles  was  to  pay  out  line,  another  was  for 
winding  in. 

"  And  the  other  two  ? "  demanded  Harry  Girdwood. 

"  Simple  enough,"  said  Mr.  Mole ;  "  this  box  is  a  battery, 
and  in  my  line  is  a  conductor  that  goes  through  the  cork  into 
the  powder.  When  I  feel  a  tug,  a  turn  or  two  of  my  handle 
here  sends  a  spark  into  the  powder,  and  our  friend  the 
Squalus  Carcharias  gets  a  good  deal  more  than  he  has 
time  to  digest." 

'  I  begin  to  see." 

'  Really,  it  is  a  very  great  plan,  Mr.  Mole." 

'  Now  for  the  pork." 

'  Pork ! " 

'  Yes." 

He  had  provided  himself  with  a  large  morsel  of  fat  in  a 
flat  strip,  and  this  he  proceeded  to  tie  round  the  soda  water 
bottle  with  twine. 

When  this  was  done,  he  put  out  about  thirty  feet  of  his 
telegraphic  line,  and  then  hurled  his  novel  bait  out  to  sea. 

They  looked  eagerly  out  in  the  direction,  and  saw  the 
great  sea-monster  dive  swiftly  after  it. 

Then  its  huge  carcase  was  clearly  perceived  in  the  limpid 
water  turning  over. 

Mole  waited  a  moment. 

The  line  tightened. 

"  Now  for  it." 

He  gave  two  of  his  handles  several  vicious  twists. 

There  was  a  shock,  and  a  kind  of  water  spout  not  far  off. 

Mole  chuckled  quietly,  and  wound  in  his  line. 

"Do  you  think  it  has  succeeded  ? "  demanded  young  Jack, 
anxiously. 

" Do  I  think,  do  I  know?     Of  course  it  has." 

They  watched  the  place  eagerly,  and  in  the  space  of  a  few 
minutes  the  carcase  of  the  huge  white  shark,  completely  rent 
asunder,  rose  to  the  surface  of  the  water,,  and  floated  about. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  247 

"Damme!"  ejaculated  Joe  Basalt,  "if  that  ain't  the 
queerest  fishing  I  ever  come  nigh." 

"And  ain't  Mr.  Mole  the  best  fisherman  you  ever  see?" 

"  That  he  is." 

"  Let's  give  him  a  cheer ;  hip,  hip,  hip !  " 

"  Hurrah ! " 

And  they  towed  the  vanquished  shark  alongside  the 
"  Westward  Ho  1 "  while  Isaac  Mole  became  the  hero  of  the 
day. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

MORE  DEEDS  OF  DARING — HOW  JEFFERSON  SHOWED  UP  IN  AN 
EMERGENCY — SINGLE  COMBAT  AND  ITS  RESULT — MR.  MOLE 
TO  THE  FORE  WITH  A  FRESH  FEAT  ON  THE  LONGBOW. 

"  THEY'VE  got  a  bite  in  the  cutter,"  said  Parry. 

They  had,  and  it  seemed  to  be  a  strong  one.  They  had 
got  a  Tartar. 

A  big  fish  was  hooked,  and  dragging  their  boat  through 
the  water  at  a  furious  rate. 

"  We  must  go  and  lend  them  a  hand,"  said  young  Jack. 

They  laid  down  to  their  work,  and  were  soon  upon 
the  scene  of  the  strife. 

Aye,  strife  is  the  correct  expression. 

Strife  it  was. 

A  steam  tug  could  not  have  dragged  them  along  at  a  better 
pace,  or  have  made  resistance  more  hopeless. 

'  Pull  hard." 

'  Aye,  aye,  sir  !  " 

'  Lay  down  to  it,  my  lads,"  cried  old  Mole,  excitedly ; 
**  look  how  they  are  flying  through  the  water." 

'  Aye,  aye,  sir  ! " 

'  I  remember  Billy  Longbow  once,"  began  Maso*1 

"  Hang  Billy  Longbow  now  ! "  said  Joe  Basalt. 

"  Yes,  let's  bag  this  fish  first  and  then " 

"  Ain't  Mr.  Mole  got  another  of  his  soda  watu   flbttles  ?: 

"  Lots  of  bait,"  replied  Mr.  Mole ;  "  but  the  tackit  isn't  up 
to  the  mark." 

"  Now  he's  slackening." 


248  JA  VK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  BIS  SOU'S 

"  Yes— he's  getting  blown." 

"  Now  he  rises." 

So  he  did. 

As  they  spoke,  the  flight  of  the  cutter  was  checked,  and  a 
huge  shark  rose  to  the  surface  of  the  water  for  air. 

A  couple  of  fowling  pieces  gave  him  a  warm  greeting,  bui 
without  appearing  to  damage  him  much. 

The  pinnace  now  pulled  sharply  round,  and  young  Jack, 
standing  up  on  the  head  of  the  boat,  held  the  harpoon  ready 
for  use  when  they  should  be  within  reach. 

The  moment  was  soon  found. 

The  harpoon  flew  from  his  grasp  whizzing  through  the 
air,  and  struck  the  quarry. 

Tough  as  his  hide  was,  the  harpoon  would  not  be  denied 
admission. 

The  shark  snorted  as  it  was  struck,  and  dived  down,  down, 
until  the  line  grew  taut. 

Had  there  been  but  a  single  line  to  hold  the  voracious 
monster  in  check,  it  would  have  been  but  little  use,  so  vio- 
lent was  the  struggle,  and  so  desperately  sudden  was  the 
strain. 

But  the  two  lines  worked  well  together  now. 

Much  as  the  shark  objected  to  their  company,  he  had  no 
choice  but  to  cruise  about  within  the  comparatively  narrow 
limits  of  his  tether. 

"  Beast !  "  said  Dick  Harvey,  snapping  a  pistol  as  it  rose 
once  more  to  the  surface.  "  You  take  a  thundering  lot  of 
killing." 

"  This  must  be  settled,"  said  Jefferson. 

"How?" 

"  I'll  show  you,"  returned  the  Yankee,  promptly. 

He  drew  his  bowie,  and  watching  the  shark  intently  for  a 
moment,  he  sprang  over  the  boat's  side  into  the  sea. 

A  cry  of  horror  arose  from  one  and  all. 

What  could  this  mean  ? 

Suicide — the  maddest  suicide  that  ever  man  had  contem- 
plated. 

Nothing  could  save  him  now. 

Nothing. 

"  Jefferson  ! "  ejaculated  Harvey.  , 

"  Hush  !  "  cried  one  of  the  sailors,  with  suppressed  excite- 
ment ;  "  don't  worrit.  Let  him  have  the  same  chance  as  the 
shark  at  any  rate." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


249 


?t  wanted  a  bold  fellow  to  do  such  a  deed  as  this,  but 
Jefferson  was  a  bold  fellow,  few  bolder. 

He  was  no  braggart ;  but  his  self-confidence  was  amazing, 
and  it  brought  him  through  many  and  many  a  desperate 
strait. 

Would  it  bring  him  through  this  present  affair  ? 

Doubtful — sadly  doubtful,  indeed. 

The  wounded  shark  caught  sight  of  the  intrepid  American, 
and  all  heedless  of  its  hurts,  dived  after  him. 

The  spectators  held  their  breaths. 

Jefferson  rose  to  the  surface  in  an  instant,  drew  a  long 
breath,  and  then  down  he  plunged  again. 

Barely  was  he  under  when  up  came  the  shark  snorting, 
puffing,  and  blowing. 

There  was  a  momentary  pause  just  then. 

Then  its  huge  tail  lashed  the  water  into  foam  and  it  rolled 
over,  the  water  surrounding  it  being  crimsoned  with  its  life 
blood. 

"  That's  another  gone  coon,"  said  Sam  Mason  exultingly. 

As  he  spoke,  Jefferson  shot  up  to  the  boat's  side,  where 
half  a  dozen  eager  hands  dragged  him  in. 

"  Phew ! "  he  said,  shaking  the  water  from  his  face 
and  head,  "  that  beast  has  cost  me  my  knife  and  my 
cutlass." 

He  had  sheathed  them  both  in  the  shark  before  the  ugly 
beast  was  done  with. 

The  spectators  gave  him  a  cheer. 

"  That's  sharp  work,  Jack,"  said  Harry  Girdwood. 

"  Sharp,  indeed." 

"  It  wants  a  quick  hand  and  a  sharp  eye." 

"  And  it  has  got  it,  too,  there,"  said  Isaac  Mole,  enthusias- 
tically ;  "  the  smartest  performance  I've  seen  for  many  a 
long  day." 

Jefferson  nodded  and  smiled  at  the  speaker. 

"  Thank'ee,  Mr.  Mole,"  said  he ;  "  such  praise  is  indeed 
gratifying  coming  from  you,  the  real  hero  of  the  day." 

Mr.  Mole  was  radiant  with  smiles  at  this. 

"Jefferson,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  in  bis  most  con- 
descending and  patronising  manner,  "you  remind  me  or  my- 
self in  my  best  days." 

The  boat's  crew  generally  laughed  at  this. 

But  Mr.  Mole  was  not  at  all  abashed. 

"  Really,  Mr.  Mole,"  said  Jefferson,  "  you  flatter." 


250  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOWS 

"  Not  I,"  protested  Mr.  Mole ;  "  I  rarely  remember  doing 
a  neater  thing  myself." 

« Indeed  1 " 

"  Truly." 

"  Is  it  possible  ?  " 

"  What  magnanimity  ! " 

"  Humility  itself,"  ejaculated  another. 

The  exaggeration  of  their  expressions  of  wonderment  as 
well  as  admiration  did  not  at  all  upset  Mr.  Mole's  moral 
equilibrium. 

He  had  a  very  large  swallow  for  admiration,  and  he  pleased 
to  take  it  all  as  his  legitimate  due. 

"  The  only  thing  which  can  at  all  compare  to  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son's gallant  deed  was  an  adventure  that  I  will  tell  you  of," 
said  he,  modestly.  "I  was  on  a  whaling  expedition  up 
north " 

"Whaling?" 

"You!" 

"  Yes,  yes,  I,  Jack.     What  is  there  surprising  in  that  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  sir,"  responded  young  Jack ;  "  only  I  was  not 
aware  you  had  ever  done  any  thing  in  that  line." 

"  Now,  how  can  you  expect  to  know  all  my  past  career, 
my  dear  boy  ?  " 

"  Of  course,  sir." 

"Whaling,  I  repeat.  We  were  chasing  an  enormous 
spermaceti  whale.  I  was  carrying  the  harpoon  and  tackle, 
and  as  we  got  within  range  I  let  fly  at  him  with  all  my 
force.  Now,  perhaps  I  ought  not  to  say  it,  but  there  were 
not  many  men  who  could  approach  me  in  handling  the 
harpoon.  I  spitted  the  animal  clean  through  the  middle." 

"  Dear  me  ! " 

"  No  sooner  did  he  feel  himself  struck  than  he  sounded. 
Out  went  the  line,  but  hang  me  if  I  could  pay  out  fast 
enough,  for  he  jerked  me  clean  off  my  perch  into  the  water." 

"  Dreadful !  " 

"  Shocking ! " 

Mr.  Mole  smiled  grimly. 

"  Not  so  bad  as  it  sounds,  after  all,"  he  said.  "  It  startled 
me  a  bit,  as  you  may  suppose." 

"  It  would,  of  course,"  said  Dick,  tipping  the  wink  to 
Jefferson. 

"  But  I  had  got  back  my  presence  of  mind  in  ha]f  a  crack, 
so  I  hauled  in  my  line  until  I  found  wiyself  on  the  whale's 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  251 

back.  There  I  stuck  on  like  grim  death,  jobbing  and  stab- 
bing away  with  one  hand,  while  I  held  on  to  the  hilt  of  the 
harpoon  with  the  other.  I  had  only  a  dirk  or  short  sword 
with  me,  but  it  was  quite  long  enough  for  the  whale." 

"  No  doubt,  no  doubt,"  exclaimed  Dick. 

"  In  a  few  minutes  I  had  jobbed  all  the  go  out  of  him, 
and  he  floated  on  the  top  of  the  water  dead  as  a  bloater, 
with  me  on  the  top,  rather  blown  with  being  so  long  under 
Water,  but  with  that  excepted,  not  much  the  worse  for  it." 

"  Wonderful !  " 

"  Marvellous !  " 

"  A  miracle  ! " 

Such  were  the  mildest  tributes  of  admiration  which  Mr. 
Mole's  fanciful  reminiscence  drew  forth. 

"  You  must  have  shipped  a  good  lot  of  water,  your  honour," 
said  Jack  Tiller. 

"  That  I  did." 

"  More  water  than  your  honour  has  ever  took  since." 

Mr.  Mole  half  smelt  a  lurking  sarcasm  in  this,  but  the 
honest  tar's  face  showed  no  signs  of  slyness. 

The  only  evidence  of  it  being  a  dig  at  Mr.  Mole's  well- 
known  weakness  for  strong  waters  was  to  be  found  in  the 
merry  twinkling  of  the  listeners'  eyes. 

"  I  remember  something  that  happened  to  Billy  Long- 
bow  "  began  Sam  Mason. 

"  Avast,  Sam  !  "  interrupted  Jack  Tiller ;  "  Billy  Longbow 
ain't  in  it  with  Mr.  Moie  at  a  yarn." 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

HUNSTON'S  TRIALS  IN  THE  HOLD  OF  THE  "  WESTWARD  HO  ! " 
— THE  SHINE  WITH  HIS  PROTECTORS — A  STRANGE  REVE- 
LATION— TROUBLES. 

HUNSTON  was,  meanwhile,  getting  into  a  very  bad  state 
of  mind. 

The  mechanical  arm  was  resuming  its  invidious  advance — > 
its  mysterious  yet  none  the  less  terrible  attack. 

"  I  feel  that  I  am  going  off  the  hooks,"  he  would  mutter 
to  himself,  grimly,  from  time  to  time.  "  I  shall  put  my  old 


252  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOATS 

enemy  Jack  Harkaway  to  the  trouble  of  burying  me  after 

all. 

"  Well,  one  good  turn  deserves  another.  I  buried  hi> 
brat,  he  shall  bury  me.  Only  he  won't  get  as  much  foi 
doing  for  me  as  I  did  for  his  son." 

He  little  dreamt  that  both  young  Jack  and  Harry  Gird' 
vood  were  upon  that  ship. 

He  had  seen  young  Jack  once,  and  then  his  fears  were  so 
xcited  that  they  obtained  a  complete  mastery  over  his 
»X)ler  judgment 

He  took  him  for  his  own  apparition. 


Joe  Basalt  and  Jack  Tiller  felt  unhappy. 

They  had  long  learnt  to  repent  of  their  slyness  in  con- 
i Anling  the  stowaway  on  board  the  "  Westward  Ho  !  " 

Honest  Joe  Basalt  and  rough-and-ready  Jack  Tiller  con- 
/«lted  daily  over  the  dilemma  into  which  they  had  fallen. 

"  Hark  ye,  Jack,"  said  his  pal  Basalt,  "  we've  bin  an' 
*iade  hasses  of  ourselves  in  getting  that  chap  aboard,  but 
our  dooty  is  clear  now." 

"What's  that?" 

"  To  go  and  make  a  clean  breast  of  it  to  the  skipper." 

"But  the  cove  himself  seemed  so  partic'lar  avarse  to  that." 

"  Cos  why  ?  Ain't  he  bin  telling  lies  by  the  pint  measure  ? 
toe's  been  humbugging  of  us,"  persisted  Basalt. 

"  Let's  go  and  talk  reasonable  to  him,  then,"  said  Tiller, 
*for  this  must  come  to  an  end.  Damme,  if  I  don't  feel  as 
if  I'd  been  an'  done  a  hanging  job  at  the  very  least." 

They  went  to  the  hold  and  found  Hunston. 

The  appearance  of  the  wretched  stowaway  was  by  this 
rime  something  dreadful. 

"We  have  come  to  the  conclusion,  mister,"  said  Joe 
Basalt,  "  that  there  is  nothing  for  it  but  to  let  the  skipper 
know  all." 

Hunston  pricked  up  his  ears  at  this. 

"  Do  what  ? "  he  exclaimed,  violently.  "  Split  upon  me, 
would  ye  ?  " 

"  That's  a  rum  word  to  use,  "  said  Joe  Basalt.  "  You  are 
precious  feverish,  and  if  you  only  was  to  see  our  skipper  and 
let  him  know  what  you  told  us  when  we  picked  you  out  of 
the  water,  he  would  help  you " 

"  To  a  halter, "  muttered  the  castaway. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  253 

"  Did  you  speak  ?  " 

"  No,  Tiller,  not  I :  I  was  only  saying  that  he  wouldn't  care 
to  see  me,  so  drop  it." 

"  We  can't." 

«*  Can't,"  repeated  Joe  Basalt. 

"Then  listen  to  me,"  exclaimed  Hunston,  starting  up  with 
new  energy  ;  "  if  you  tell  a  word  about  me  to  anyone  it  will 
be  a  breach  of  faith  and  I  shall  resent  it." 

"  Resent !  How  ?  " 

"  Easily." 

"  Well,  if  you  means  threatening  me,  I  may  as  well  tell 
you  I  ain't  afeared  of  no  man,  and  when  you  gets  round  and 
pulls  up  your  strength  again,  I  shall  be  happy  to  have  half 
an  hour  with  you  quiet  and  comfortable,  and  my  pal,  Jack 
Tiller,  shall  stand  by  and  see  fair  play." 

And  honest  Joe  rolled  up  his  shirt  sleeves  showing  to  the 
villain  Hunston  a  pair  of  powerful  and  brawny  arms. 

"  I  don't  mean  that,"  said  Hunston. 

"  But  I  do." 

"  And  so  do  I,"  added  Jack  Tiller. 

"  I  mean  to  say  that  if  you  betray  me  to  Harkaway  or  to 
any  of  the  party,  I  shall  make  a  point  of  letting  them  know 
that  you  kept  me  snug  here  so  long  because  you  were  well 
paid  for  it,  and  it  may  not  please  your  master,  perhaps,  to 
learn  that  you  are  doing  a  little  passenger  traffic  upon  your 
own  account ;  and  what's  better,  sticking  to  the  money  you 
make  over  it." 

This  staggered  the  two  sailors  not  a  little. 

"  You  lying,  black-hearted  swab,"  ejaculated  Tiller,  when 
he  had  got  his  breath.  "  Would  you  dare  ?  " 

Hunston  curled  his  lip  contemptuously. 

"  Dare  !  " 

"  Why,  you  sneaking,  lying  Judas,"  cried  Basalt. 

"  Lying  !  "  echoed  Hunston  ;  "  is  it  not  true  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Not  true  that  I  paid  you  for  saving  me  and  bringing  me 
here  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  but " 

"  But — but — but  pickles.  The  tale  I  shall  tell  will  speak 
for  itself." 

"  Then,  damme,  you  shall  try  it  on  now,"  ejaculated  the 
exasperated  Joe  Basalt,  moving  towards  the  companion 
ladder. 


254  /ACJiT  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

But  before  he  could  get  any  further,  Hunston  sprang  be- 
fore him,  knife  in  hand. 

"  Hold  !  " 

"  Stand  aside,"  cried  Joe. 

"  When  you  have  sworn  not  to  utter  a  word;  but  not 
till  then— not  till  then." 

The  two  sailors  stared  at  each  other  in  surprise  at  this 
outburst. 

"  Well,  Joe,"  exclaimed  his  comrade, "  did  you  ever  see 
such  a  black-hearted  villain  ?  " 

"  Not  I.  But  out  of  the  way  with  you,  swab,  or,  damme, 
I'll  make  small  biscuit  of  you." 

So  saying,  he  ran  at  Hunston,  and  knocked  the  knife  out 
of  his  hand. 

Hunston  endeavoured  to  close  with  him. 

But  the  temporary  strength  with  which  his  fury  had  invested 
him  vanished  suddenly,  and  he  fell  to  the  ground,  a  dull, 
heavy  load. 

They  ran  to  raise  him. 

To  their  dismay  they  discovered  that  he  was  breathless — 
lifeless. 

"  He's  dead  !  " 

"  Is  he  ?  Then,  by  the  Lord  Harry,  we  must  go  and  fetch 
the  doctor,  or  we  shall  get  into  an  awful  mess.  Stay  here, 
Joe,  awhile.  I'll  go  up  and  see  for  the  doctor." 

"  Stop  a  bit,"  said  Joe  Basalt,  feeling  the  stowaway's 
chest.  "  He's  not  dead  yet.  I  can  feel  something  moving 
here.  Yes,  it's  beating." 

"  He's  only  fainting,  then." 

"  Yes." 

"  Quite  enough,  top.  I'll  go  up  and  let  them  know,  be- 
fore he  can  go  on  again  about  it" 

Up  he  ran. 

Joe  Basalt  used  his  best  exertions  to  bring  the  swooning 
man  round. 


Tiller  found  Harkaway  on  deck. 
"  Might  I  have  half  a  word  with  your  honour  ?  " 
'*  A  dozen,  if  you  like,  Tiller,"  said    old  Jack,    turning 
from  the  party  of  daring  fishermen,  who  had  been  relating 
their  deeds  of  daring  with  the  sharks,  and  was  quite  elated 
with  t*ie  narrations  which  they  had  been  giving. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  255 

Jack  Tiller  hummed  and  ha'd,  and  looked  uneasy,  and  so 
he  pulled  his  forelock  and  spluttered  out — 

"  Please,  sir,  I've  been  and  gone  on  like  a  darned  bad  lot, 
your  honour." 

"Tiller!" 

"  Yes,  your  honour,  I  have.  I've  been  and  let  a  berth 
here  on  board,  and  stuck  to  the  money — leastways,  that's 
what  the  passenger  himself  says,  though,  the  Lord  help  me, 
I  hadn't  the  least  idea  of  doing  such  a  thing ;  not  I.  I  took 
a  poor  drowning  wretch  in,  and  I  put  him  below  in  the  hold 
to  keep  him  snug,  and " 

Here  Harkaway  interrupted  him  with  a  cry  of  wonder  and 
astonishment. 

"  What,  Tiller,  you  mean  to  say  you  have  a  stowaway  on 
board  the  '  Westward  Ho  ? '" 

"  Yes,  your  honour,"  responded  the  frightened  mariner. 

"  You  have  done  very  wrong,  Jack  Tiller,  "  said  Harka- 
way, "  very  wrong  indeed." 

"  I  know  I  have,  though  Lord  help  me  if  I  thought  of 
wronging  any  man.  The  poor  devil  in  gratitude,  offered  me 
money,  and  I  took  it ;  and  now  I  feel  as  if  I  had  been  rob- 
bing your  honour,  that's  all.  Bnt  I'll  be  glad  to  hand  over 
the  money,  and  so  will  my  pal,  Joe  Basalt" 

"  Joe ! " 

"  Yes." 

"  Is  he  in  it?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  You  surprise  me." 

"  Devil  a  bit  do  I  wonder  at  that,  sir.  We're  a  thieving, 
dishonest  lot,  sir,  little  as  I  thought  it,  sir." 

Old  Jack  smiled  at  this. 

"  Well,  well,"  he  said,  after  a  moment's  reflection,  "  we'll 
go  deeper  into  that  question  when  we  have  seen  your  stow- 
away." 

"  This  way,  sir,"  said  the  worthy  Tiller. 

Old  Jack  followed  him  down  below. 

On  reaching  the  hold,  he  found  Joe  Basalt  kneeling  up  in 
a  corner  over  the  wretched  stowaway,  who  was  still  in  a  deep 
swoon. 

"  How  is  he  ?  "  asked  Tiller.    "  Any  better  yet?  " 

"  No." 

"  Fainted  again  ? " 

"  Yes — hush  1  don't  make  a  row." 


256  JA CK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOWS 

"  Here's  the  governor,  Joe,"  said  Jack  Tiller. 

Joe  Basalt  turned  round  with  a  start,  and  hung  his  head 
abashed. 

"  It's  all  right,  Joe,"  said  Harkaway.  "  Doti't  worry  any 
more  about  it ;  only  you  were  wrong  to  conceal  it  from  me, 
that's  all.  And  now  let  us  look  at  the  patient.  He  is  ill, 
Jack  Tiller  tells  me." 

"  Yes,  your  honour." 

"  Turn  your  lantern  upon  his  face." 

The  sailor  opened  his  bull's-eye. 

As  its  glare  flashed  upon  the  half  swooning  man,  he  opened 
his  eyes. 

The  recognition  was  mutual — yes,  and  instantaneous. 

The  stowaway  glared  fiercely  upwards,  and  uttered  but 
one  word — 

"  Harkaway  ! " 

"  Hunston  1 " 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

GOOD  FOR  EVIL — AN  UNEXPECTED  STROKE  OF  LUCK  FOR 
HUNSTON. 

HARKAWAY,  the  noble  and  generous,  and  Hunston,  the 
villain  from  boyhood  to  manhood,  together — face  to  face  ! 

After  all  these  changes  and  trials  and  vicissitudes. 

After  all  these  acts  of  villainy,  treachery,  and  cruelty  upon 
the  part  of  the  miserable  wretch  Hunston.  After  so  many 
acts  of  daring  upon  the  part  of  our  dashing  hero,  Jack 
Harkaway. 

Not  a  word  was  spoken  for  some  moments. 

This  strange  encounter  literally  deprived  them  of  the 
power  of  utterance. 

It  was  unexpected  to  both  of  them. 

Startling — appalling  was  it  to  Hunston  upon  regaining 
consciousness,  to  find  himself  face  to  face  with  the  man  of 
all  others  he  dreaded  and  hated  most. 

Need  we  say  why  ? 

No. 

The  reader  has  not,  of  course,  forgotten  that  Hunston  was 
ignorant  of  the  two  boys'  preservation. 


A D  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  257 

Little  did  he  dream  that  those  two  destined  victims  had, 
by  little  less  than  a  miracle,  escaped  his  vengeance. 

Bitter,  indeed,  therefore,  were  his  feelings  now,  for  he 
fully  believed  that  young  Jack  was  in  his  grave  in  the  Greek 
mountains. 

Under  any  ordinary  circumstances  he  would  have  felt 
tolerably  easy,  for  well  as  he  knew  what  an  ugly  customer 
was  Jack  Harkaway  in  a  tussle,  he  was  also  aware  that 
Jack  would  not  take  advantage  of  an  enemy's  powerless 
condition,  no  matter  how  deep  were  the  wrongs  inflicted. 

The  murder  of  Harkaway's  boy,  Hunston  knew  well,  was 
a  crime  which  Harkaway  would  never  look  over. 

His  fate  was  sealed. 

So  deeply  was  he  convinced  of  this  that  he  would  have 
laid  violent  hands  upon  himself  if  he  had  had  the  power. 

But  the  crowning  crime  of  self-murder  he  was  powerless 
to  commit. 

"  So,  Hunston,"  said  Harkaway,  sternly,  '*  we  meet  face 
to  face  once  more." 

Hunston  was  silent. 

What  could  he  say  ? 

"  What  new  villainy  brought  you  here  ?  "  said  Harkaway. 
"  What  fresh  act  of  devilry  had  you  in  contemplation  when 
you  got  on  board  my  vessel  ? 

Hunston  gave  him  a  sickly  and  scornful  smile. 

"  Do  you  suppose  that  I  knew  where  I  was  ? " 

"  Yes." 

Hunston  stared. 

"Then  all  I  have  to  say  is,  that  you  haven't  improved  in 
wit  or  wisdom  with  increasing  years.  Why,  the  merest 
chance  brought  me  here.  I  am  not  guilty  of  gratitude  as  a 
rule,  you  will  say." 

"  True." 

"You  haven't  the  satisfaction  of  saying  it,"  retorted 
Hunston,  quickly ;  "  I  have  said  it  for  you.  But  the  two 
men  who  hid  me  here  had  no  idea  who  I  was.  Being  hard 
pressed  on  shore — where  you  made  it  too  hot  to  hold  me — I 
took  to  the  water,  and  when  I  was  nearly  sinking,  I  hailed 
their  boat.  They  took  me  in  and " 

"  Ar.d  you  returned  the  compliment." 

"How?" 

"  By  taking  them  in,"  said  Harkaway. 

"  They  hid  me  away  here  to  do  me  a  service.  I  made 
17 


258  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOWS 

my  tale  good  to  them.  As  my  time,  I  feel,  is  nearly  up  in 
this  world,  I  don't  want  to  do  them  any  wrong." 

Harkaway  listened  in  some  astonishment. 

The  wretch's  allusion  to  his  approaching  end  thrilled 
Harkaway  strangely. 

"  Do  you  feel  so  ill  ? "  he  asked. 

Hunston  smiled  sardonically  at  this. 

"  Nearly  all  over,"  was  his  reply.  "  Laugh  away— laugh 
away ! " 

"Hush,  miserable  man,  hush!"  exclaimed  Harkaway. 
"  You  have  known  me  nearly  all  my  life ;  you  knew  me  as  a 
schoolboy  and  as  a  man." 

"  Yes." 

"  And  no  one  has  better  reason  than  you  to  know  that 
Jack  Harkaway  does  not  fight  with  helpless  enemies,  still 
less  does  he  rejoice  over  the  sufferings  of  the  worst  foe  he 
ever  had." 

Hunston  looked  up. 

A  faint  gleam  of  hope  appeared  in  this. 

But  no ;  it  was  impossible. 

Too  well  he  knew  that  his  life  was  forfeited. 

But  while  he  was  ruminating  thus,  Harkaway  had  sent  one 
of  the  men  up  on  deck  to  fetch  the  doctor. 

In  the  course  of  two  or  three  minutes  the  man  returned, 
accompanied  by  the  ship's  surgeon. 

"  A  stowaway  on  board  the  '  Westward  Ho  ! f  said  the 
doctor,  as  he  entered  the  hold ;  "  I  should  sooner  have  ex- 
pected to  find  one  on  board  a  man-of-war." 

"  Examine  him,  please,  doctor,"  said  Harkaway  anxiously, 
"  and  let  us  know  how  he  is." 

The  doctor  made  no  reply,  but  proceeded  without  any 
fuss  or  demonstration  to  feel  the  sick  man's  pulse. 

"  Very  low,"  he  said  ;  "  in  a  bad  way.  We  must  get  him 
up  out  of  this  place,  for  it  is  enough  to  choke  a  black." 

He  was  tended  as  carefully  as  if  he  had  been  one  of  their 
best  friends,  instead  of  the  bitterest,  the  most  treacherous 
of  their  enemies ;  and,  strange  to  relate,  Jack  Harkaway 
appeared  not  a  little  concerned  about  the  villain's  welfare. 

"  Do  you  think  that  there  is  any  danger  ? "  he  asked. 

"  Immediate,  do  you  mean,  sir  ?  "  said  the  doctor. 

"  Yes." 

"  Humph !  I  can  scarcely  say.  Not  exactly  immediate, 
perhaps,  if  care  be  taken." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  259 

"You  think  he  will  live?" 

"  Unless  the  fever  which  has  set  in  should  take  an  un* 
favourable  turn.  He  is  constitutionally  strong." 

•'  I  know  that." 

The  doctor  looked  at  Harkaway  in  some  surprise. 

"  You  are  a  bit  of  a  doctor,  Mr.  Harkaway  ?  " 

Jack  smiled. 

"  A  very  small  bit,"  he  answered ;  "  only  I  have  known 
this  man  nearly  all  my  life." 

"  Indeed  ! " 

The  doctor's  manner  invited  confidence,  and  it  was  quite 
clear  that  his  curiosity  had  been  awakened. 

Harkaway  thought  it  over  quickly  and  quietly,  and  he 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  could  not  do  better  than  let 
the  doctor  participate  in  the  secret. 

"  You  are  surprised  that  an  old  acquaintance  of  mine 
should  be  here  on  board  my  ship,  lurking  and  skulking  as  a 
stowaway  ? " 

"Well,"  answered  Doctor  Anderson,  in  a  constrained 
manner,  "  if  I  confess  the  honest  plain  truth,  I  am." 

"  It  is  simple  enough ;  the  man  did  not  know  that  he 
was  on  my  vessel,  or  it  would  be  about  the  last  vessel  in  the 
world  he  would  have  chosen  for  refuge." 

"  Refuge  ? " 

"  Yes  ;  refuge  is  the  word.  Now  I  am  the  worst  man  in 
the  world  at  half  confidences.  Tell  me,  are  you  a  good  man 
to  keep  a  secret,  doctor  ?  " 

"I  am." 

"  Then  I  may  tell  you  something  that  will  rather  startle 
you." 

"  You  will  ? " 

"  Yes.  That  poor  wretch  you  have  the  charge  of  is  the 
worst  enemy  that  I  have.  It  it  is  my  old  schoolfellow, 
Hunston." 

"  Hunston  ! " 

"  Yes.     You  remember  the  name,  I  perceive." 

"  I  do.  But  is  it  possible  that  the  villain  has  the  audacity 
to  venture  here  ? " 

"  No ;  that  is  just  what  he  would  not  do.  He  took  to  the 
water,  being  hardly  pressed  by  his  enemies." 

"  Why,  if  your  men  knew  who  it  was,  they  would  tear  him 
piecemeal." 

"Exactly;    and   that's  what  I  wanted   to   speak    of    to 


260  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

you,  doctor.  We  must  take  every  care  not  to  let  them 
know." 

"  Really,  you  are  as  careful  of  him  as  though  he  were  a 
cherished  friend." 

"Not  quite,"  answered  Harkaway  ;  "only  I  don't  care  to 
drop  on  a  helpless  enemy,  even  such  a  viper  as  this  Hun- 
ston." 

"  But  he  is  such  an  utterly  bad  lot." 

"  True ;  and  I  should  not  feel  the  slightest  compunction  at 
taking  his  life  in  a  tussle,  in  a  fair  stand-up  fight ;  but  what 
I  can't  do,  is  taking  a  man's  life  when  he  is  helpless  at  my 
mercy." 

The  doctor  saw  that  Harkaway  did  not  wish  to  discuss  it 
further,  and  so  he  contented  himself  with  obeying  orders ; 
and  so  Hunston  got  restored  to  health  in  the  ship  of  his  old 
schoolfellow,  the  man  whom  he  had  injured  most  deeply. 

Care  and  skill  of  the  first  description  were  lavished 
upon  him. 

But  for  this,  Hunston  would  probably  have  languished  and 
died  wretchedly  upon  the  coast  of  Greece,  unless  an  accident 
had  thrown  him  into  the  power  of  the  authorities. 

In  that  case,  his  destiny  would  have  been  speedily  ac- 
complished. 

His  end — the  scaffold. 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

HUNSTON'S    PROGRESS — MISGIVINGS — THE   WARNINGS    FROM 
THE  GRAVE. 

'  MR.  HARKAWAY." 

1  Doctor." 

'  A  word  with  you,  if  convenient,  sir.*' 

'  Certainly,  doctor,"  returned  old  Jack. 

And  they  walked  on  deck  together. 

'  It  is  only  concerning  the  patient." 

'  What  of  him  ? " 

'There  is  something  concerning  that  mechanical  arm 
which  completely  baffles  me.  It  is  poisoned,  I  fear." 

"  You  astonish  me,"  said  Harkaway. 

While  they  were  talking  this  over,  young  Jack  dropped 
into  the  cabin. 


AD  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  261 

Now,  the  boy  knew  better  than  anybody  the  history  of  the 
mechanical  arm. 

It  will  not  be  forgotten  by  the  reader  that  the  death  of 
Robert  Emmerson  occurred  on  board  the  pirate  vessel  during 
the  captivity  of  young  Jack  Harkaway  and  Harry  Girdwood. 

Although  so  many  adventures  have  been  gone  through 
since  then,  you  can  not  have  forgotten  that  during  their  cap- 
tivity Hunston  and  Toro  had  striven  might  and  main  to 
compass  the  poor  boy's  destruction. 

It  is  needless  to  recall  to  the  reader's  recollection  that  it 
was  during  that  time  that  this  wondrous  work  was  perfected 
by  Robert  Emmerson,  and  that  during  that  time  his  work 
was  the  indirect  cause  of  his  death. 

The  legend  of  the  steel  arm  was  not  forgotten  by  the  boys. 


"This  arm  was  made  by  the  notorious  Protean  Bob."  said 
young  Jack  to  his  father.  "  You  remember  Protean  Bob  ?  n 

"  Yes." 

"  He  was  a  highly-skilled  mechanician,  it  appears,  and 
that  he  gave  himself  thoroughly  up  to  the  manufacture  of 
this  arm." 

"  It  is  certainly  a  marvellous  piece  of  work,"  said  Doctor 
Anderson. 

"  The  strangest  part  of  the  story  is, "  said  young  Jack, 
"  that  only  the  inventor  knows  the  exact  working  of  it,  and 
that  there  is  concealed  in  the  springs  something  deadly  to 
avenge  the  inventor  should  the  wearer  of  the  arm  ever  prove 
wanting  in  gratitude.  And  Hunston,  as  you  know " 

"  Never  troubled  anyone  with  gratitude." 

"  No,  indeed,"  said  Doctor  Anderson,  reflectively ;  "  the 
strangest  part  of  that  is,  he  never  misses  an  opportunity  of 
railing  against  you." 

"  Against  me  !  "  said  Harkaway. 

"  Ungrateful  ruffian  !"  exclaimed  Harvey,  who  entered  just 
as  this  was  spoken. 

"  He  thinks  when  he  gets  well,  you  will  take  his  life,  for 
he  is  still  ignorant  of  the  boys  being  here,  or  of  their  lives 
being  saved,"  said  the  doctor. 

"  I  see,  I  see,"  said  young  Jack ;  "  he  doesn't  know  that  we 
escaped  the  death  which  he  fancied  so  sure.  He  ought  to 
suffer  for  that." 

"  Hush ! "  said  old  Jack  :  "  he  is  punished  enough  already." 


262  JA  CK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOWS 

"  Not  quite.  I  don't  think  he  could  be  punished  enough," 
said  Harry  Girdwood. 

"  Nor  I." 

"  Stop,  stop,"  said  Harkaway,  seriously ;  "  I  have  suffered 
more  than  all  of  you,  at  the  hands  of  this  man,  and  if  I  can 
forgive  him,  surely  you  can." 

*****  * 

Now,  as  Hunston  gained  strength,  his  old  evil  passions 
returned  in  their  full  force. 

The  nurses  appointed  to  attend  his  bedside,  were  the  two 
sailors  who  had  rescued  him  from  a  watery  grave,  honest  Joe 
Basalt  and  his  friend  Jack  Tiller. 

These  two  bluff  tars  had  been  appointed  to  the  post  for 
reasons  which  the  reader  will  readily  comprehend. 

They  had  received  a  long  lesson  from  old  Jack  and  from 
the  doctor  too. 

They  were  forbidden  to  mention  certain  matters,  and 
although  Hunston  would  wheedle  and  cross-examine  with 
the  skill  of  an  Old  Bailey  lawyer,  he  quite  failed  to  get  any 
information  from  them. 

"  At  any  rate,"  exclaimed  the  patient,  in  utter  despair, 
"  you  don't  mind  telling  me  whither  we  are  bound." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  do,"  returned  Joe  Basalt,  who  was  on  duty 
for  the  time  being. 

"Why?" 

'•  Can't  tell." 

"  You  don't  think  that  Harkaway  means  to         " 

"  Mister  Harkaway,  if  you  please,"  interrupted  Joe  Basalt, 
surlily. 

"  Well  then,  Mr.  Harkaway,"  said  Hunston,  impatiently. 

"That's  better." 

"  You  don't  think  that  he  means  to  hand  me  over  to  the 
authorities  at  the  nearest  port,  do  you  ?  " 

Joe  was  mum. 

"  Eh  ? " 

Not  a  word. 

Hunston  still  remained  in  ignorance  of  the  presence  of 
the  boys — aye,  even  of  their  very  existence. 

*****  * 

"Massa  Jack,"  said  Sunday  to  our  youthful  hero,  one 
morning,  "  we  often  gib  poor  old  Daddy  Mole  a  teasing,  sir, 
a  frightening." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  263 

Young  Jack  grinned. 

"  We  have." 

"  Ought  he  not  to  get  off  easier  dan  dat  dam  skunk,  dat 
Hunston  fellar  ? " 

"Yes,  but  you  wouldn't  recommend  joking  with  him  as  we 
do  with  Mr.  Mole  ? " 

"  No.  I'd  let  it  be  no  joke,  Massa  Jack  ;  I'd  just  frighten 
him  out  of  his  darned  skin,  dat's  all." 

Harry  Girdwood  was  taken  into  their  confidence,  and  a 
fine  plot  was  agreed  upon. 

The  only  difficulty  was  the  sailor  nurse. 

Joe  Basalt  was  on  guard  again. 

They  gave  Joe  Basalt  a  good  stiff  tumbler  of  grog — and 
where  is  the  sailor  who  could  resist  that  ? — and  oh,  wicked- 
ness !  the  grog  was  hocussed. 

In  plainer  language,  that  means  drugged. 

Not  very  long  after  drinking  their  healths  in  a  bumper, 
old  Joe  felt  drowsy,  and  he  fell  asleep. 

The  patient  slept,  and  would  not  have  awakened  probably 
for  two  hours  had  not  the  two  negroes  Sunday  and  Monday 
set  up  a  most  unearthly,  moaning  noise. 

The  pitch  was  low  but  thrilling,  and  not  the  pleasantest 
thing  for  a  man  to  hear  with  a  conscience  laden  with  guilt  as 
was  the  wretched  man  Hunston's. 

The  sick  man  was  for  some  time  oblivious  of  the  sounds 
which  were  going  on  for  his  special  ear. 

But  after  a  certain  delay  it  began  to  telL 

He  moaned. 

Then  moved. 

Then  turned  upon  his  back. 

"  Hunston  !  Hunston  !  oh,  Hunston  ! "  Sunday  groaned. 
"  Awake." 

And  then  the  two  darkeys  would  groan  together. 

A  responsive  moan  from  Hunston  was  heard. 

He  opened  his  eyes,  moaned  and  groaned,  and  awoke 
wakeful  at  once. 

And  when  he  awoke  ! 

His  startled  eyes  fell  upon  two  awful  and  awesome  figures. 

The  two  boys,  young  Jack  and  Harry  Girdwood,  standing 
hand  in  hand,  their  faces  bearing  the  ghastly  pallor  of  the 
grave  and  their  brows  smeared  with  blood. 

In  the  darkened  cabin  a  flickering,  phosphorescent  light 
played  upon  them,  a  hint  which  had  perhaps  been  borrowed 


264  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOWS 

from  the  practical  joking  in  the  chamber  of  the  sham  necro- 
mancer in  Greece. 

The  two  victims  glared  upon  the  sick  man,  while  he  could 
only  stare  in  fearful  silence. 

He  stared. 

Then  he  closed  his  eyes  and  rubbed  them,  and  opened 
them  again,  as  if  to  assure  himself  that  it  was  real. 

But  they  never  moved. 

Never  spoke. 

He  essayed  to  speak. 

But  his  tongue  refused  to  wag. 

It  stuck  to  the  roof  of  his  mouth. 

The  perspiration  stood  out  upon  his  brow  in  thick  beads. 

Presently,  when  a  sound  came  from  him,  it  was  a  dull, 
hollow  moan  of  anguish,  that  sounded  like  the  echo  of  some 
"  yawning  grave." 

A  sound  which  seemed  to  contain  the  pent-up  agony  of  a 
whole  lifetime  of  suffering. 

But  his  tormentors  were  merciless. 

They  did  not  budge. 

"  Away,  horrible  creatures  ! "  gasped  the  miserable  wretch, 
in  tones  scarcely  louder  than  a  whisper.  "  Away,  and  hide 
yourselves  1 " 

And  he  strove  to  drag  the  coverlet  over  his  head. 

But  there  was  a  fearful  fascination  in  it  which  forced  him 
in  spite  of  himself  to  look  again. 

"  I  know  you  are  unreal,"  he  faltered.  "  I  know  my  mind 
is  wandering — that  I  fancy  it  all — all.  Begone  !  away  !  " 

As  well  might  he  have  invited  them  to  shake  him  by  the 
hand  or  to  embrace  him  affectionately. 

No. 

There  they  stuck  glaring  upon  him  with  eyes  full  of  hide- 
ous menace. 

"  What  brings  you  here  ?  "  he  said  again.  "  Why  do  you 
come  to  torment  me  now  ?  Rest  in  your  graves.  Away,  I 
say,  away ! " 

His  manner  grew  more  violent  as  he  went  on  speaking. 

"  You  had  no  mercy  upon  us,"  said  young  Jack ;  "  and 
now  remember  when  last  we  were  upon  earth." 

A  groan  from  Hunston  was  the  only  response. 

"  Beware !  "  said  Harry  Gird  wood,  in  sepulchral  tones. 
v  Beware,  I  say !  " 

*  Beware  1  "  chimed  in  the  others,  as  in  one  voice. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  265 

"  I  warned  you  that  the  time  would  come  when  you  would 
beg  for  mercy  of  my  father,"  pursued  young  Jack.  "  I  told 
you  that  you  should  grovel  in  abject  terror,  and  plead  in  vain 
— aye,  in  vain." 

"  Never !  "  retorted  Hunston. 

"  To-morrow  will  show  you." 

"What?"  cried  Hunston,  in  feverish  eagerness,  while  he 
dreaded  to  hear. 

"  Your  fate." 

"  It  is  false." 

"The  rope  is  ready — the  noose  is  run.  You  shall  die  a 
dog's  death." 

"  And  you  shall  die  hard,"  added  Harry  Girdwood. 

A  groan,  more  fearful  than  any  which  had  preceded,  burst 
from  the  guilty  wretch. 

'  But  Harkaway  will  be  merciful." 

'  As  you  were." 

'  No,  no,  no  ;  he  is  full  of  forgiveness,  I  know." 

'  But  not  for  crimes  like  yours." 

'  He  could  not  pardon  you,  even  if  he  would." 

'  Why  not  ?  "  demanded  Hunston,  quickly. 

'  Because  the  crew  would  drag  you  piecemeal.  No,  no,  no, 
Hunston  ;  your  fate  is  sealed.  The  rope  is  ready — the  noose 
is  waiting  for  you.  In  torment  and  in  suffering  you  shall 
die  the  death  of  a  rabid  cur,  the  death  of  a  loathsome  reptile, 
of  a  poisonous  thing  of  which  it  is  true  humanity  to  rid  the 
earth." 

He  could  hear  no  more. 

With  a  moan  of  incalculable  terror  he  dived  under  the  bed- 
clothes to  shut  out  the  fearful  vision. 

When  he  ventured  forth  again,  they  were  gone. 

Vanished ! 

They  had  returned  as  noiselessly  as  they  had  come. 


"  Basalt." 

"Hullo!" 

The  drugged  sailor  fought  with  the  opiate  which  had  been 
administered  to  him  and  opened  his  eyes. 

"  There's  no  one  here,  is  there,  Basalt  ?    Tell  me." 

"What  are  you  muttering  about  now?"  demanded  Joe 
Basalt,  in  his  surliest  tones. 

"  Are  we  alone  ?  " 


266  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  Of  course," 

"  I  have  had  such  an  awful  dream,  my  good  friend,"  said 
Hunston,  still  on  the  shiver. 

"  Then  keep  it  to  yourself,"  retorted  Joe.  "  I  don't  care 
the  value  of  a  ship's  biscuit  for  your  dream — yours  nor  any- 
body else's — so  stow  your  gaff.  Close  your  peepers,  and  lei 
me  get  a  few  winks,  if  I  can,  always  providing  as  I'm  not 
troubling  your  honourable  self." 

Not  even  honest  old  Joe's  withering  irony  could  affect  the 
patient,  so  profoundly  pleased  was  he  to  find  the  super- 
natural visitors  gone — melted,  as  it  were,  into  thin  air. 

Hunston  turned  on  his  side,  muttering — 

"  If  I  had  but  the  giant  strength  of  Toro,  I  would  sooi» 
take  my  revenge  upon  all  this  ship  contains — yes,  a  deep  and 
deadly  revenge." 

After  a  momentj  he  again  muttered — 

"  I  wonder  if  the  brigand  Toro  is  alive  or  dead,  or  if  I 
shall  ever  have  his  help  to  destroy  my  old  and  hated  enemy 
Harkaway." 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

WHEREIN  HUNSTON'S  EVIL  PROPENSITIES  CATCH  HIM  IN  A 
TRAP — DANGER — ANOTHER  SHARK — MR.  MOLE  SUFFERS. 

"  I  HAVE  had  such  horrible  dreams,  doctor,"  said  Hunston 
the  next  morning. 

"  I  don't  much  wonder  at  your  dreams  being  ugly  ones," 
replied  the  doctor,  significantly. 

Hunston  coughed. 

There  was  no  mistaking  the  doctor's  meaning. 

The  conversation  hung  fire  for  a  moment. 

"  I  can.  quite  understand  that  you  may  dream  of  many  things 
which  would  scarcely  bear  repetition." 

"  That's  not  the  case,"  angrily  retorted  the  patient. 

"  Indeed." 

The  end  of  it  was  the  doctor  treated  the  patient  for  the  fever- 
ish symptoms  which  the  tricks  of  the  night  had  created,  and 
as  the  day  wore  on,  he  got  calmer  and  better. 

Time  wore  on. 

Days  grew  into  weeks. 

The  mysterious  ravages  of  the  secret  poisoning  still  baffled 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  267 

Doctor  Anderson  and  prevented  the  complete  restoration  of 
the  patient. 

"  There's  something  very  extraordinary  in  this,"  the  doc- 
tor would  say  to  Hunston,  "  something  which  is  quite  beyond 
me.  If  we  were  not  in  the  nineteenth  century,  I  should  al- 
most be  inclined  to  believe  in  a  spell  having  been  cast  upon 
you." 

Hunston  winced. 

"  Upon  me  ? " 

"  Yes  ;  or  rather  upon  that  wonderful  mechanical  arm.  I 
should  almost  think  that  the  wearer  was  under  a  ban." 

The  doctor's  words  thrilled  the  listener  strangely. 

Little  did  he  know  that  Doctor  Anderson  was  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  history  of  the  mechanical  arm,  and  of  its 
ill-fated  inventor,  Robert  Emmerson. 

Little  did  he  think  that  the  doctor's  words  were  meant  to 
produce  the  exact  effect  which  they  had. 

The  doctor's  speech  sank  deeply  into  Hunston's  mind, 
and  he  brooded  day  and  night. 

But  although  it  did  not  affect  his  health,  it  certainly  had  a 
most  unwholesome  effect  upon  his  mind,  and  the  result  of 
this  soon  made  itself  manifest. 

****** 

That  same  afternoon  the  two  boys  and  their  tutor  were  on 
deck. 

There  was  scarcely  a  breath  of  wind  on  the  ocean,  the 
sails  were  hanging  loosely  from  the  spars  as  the  vessel  rose 
and  fell  upon  the  swelling  waves. 

"  What  a  country  this  is  for  sharks  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Mole, 
who  was  seated  on  the  low  bulwarks  of  the  weather  quarter, 
enjoying  what  little  air  there  was,  and  carefully  unloading 
his  pocket  pistol. 

"  Beg  pardon,  Mr.  Mole,"  said  Harry,  "  but  what  is  the 
name  of  this  particular  country  ?  " 

Mole  frowned  horribly. 

"  You  are  a  very  impudent  boy." 

"  No,  sir,  only  a  youth  of  an  inqv.:ring  turn  of  mind.  What 
is  the  chief  city  of  this  country  ?  " 

"  I  never  answer  absurd  questions." 

Mr.  Mole  took  another  suck  at  the  pistol  (/.  e.  flask),  and 
then  his  countenance  relaxed. 

"It  is  a  place  for  sharks,  though,"  he  said  ;  "only  look 
at  that  great  fellow  down  here." 


2 68  JA CK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

Harty  looked,  and  so  did  young  Jack. 

There  was  a  monster  of  the  deep  moving  slowly  to  and  fro, 
occasionally  coming  up  nearly  to  the  surface  and  then  sink> 
ing  apparently  without  an  effort  almost  out  of  sight. 

The  fish  was  of  greater  size  than  those  they  had  already 
killed. 

He  came  up  and  looked  at  old  Mole  and  then  turned  away4 
evidently  thinking  the  worthy  tutor  much  too  old,  lean  and 
tough  for  his  dainty  stomach  ;  but  when  he  caught  sight  oi 
Jack  and  Harry,  he  showed  more  animation. 

Evidently  they  were  more  to  his  taste. 

"  I  mean  to  have  a  try  for  him,"  said  Jack. 

"  Do  so,  my  boy.  I  shall  make  a  sportsman  of  you  yet,  I 
see,  "  observed  Mole. 

"  You  have  certainly  put  us  up  to  a  wrinkle  or  two  lately, 
sir." 

"  Bah  !  your  father  is  considered  a  clever  man  in  all  that 
pertains  to  sporting,  but  what  is  he  in  comparison  with  me  ?  " 

Young  Jack  did  not  hear  the  conclusion  of  this  speech,  for 
he  had  gone  away  to  get  his  fishing  tackle,  a  large  hook 
attached  to  a  chain. 

He  quickly  returned,  and  baited  the  hook  with  about  ten 
pounds  of  beef,  that  had  gone  a  little  queer  in  the  bottom  of 
the  tub. 

"  Now,  Mr.  Sharkey,  let  us  see  if  you  can  digest  that," 
exclaimed  Jack,  as  he  dropped  the  hook  overboard. 

The  shark  looked  at  it  closely,  and  then  looked  up  at  Jack, 
as  though  he  would  much  prefer  the  fisher  to  the  bait. 

"  It  is  no  use,  Jack,"  said  Harry ;  "  he  is  not  hungry." 

"  Strikes  me  it  is  unskilfulness  in  angling,  rather  than  want 
of  appetite  on  the  shark's  part,"  remarked  Mr.  Mole, 

"  Would  you  like  to  have  a  try,  sir  ?  " 

"  Hem  !  well,  I  don't  mind  showing  you  how  to  do  it," 
responded  the  professor. 

Jack  began  to  haul  in  the  line,  coiling  it  down  just  at 
Mole's  feet,  ~-  -ather  where  his  feet  should  have  been. 

But  sharkey,  finding  himself  in  danger  of  losing  his  dinner, 
made  a  dart  at  the  meat  beiore  it  left  the  water,  then  dis- 
covering that  the  barb  of  the  hook  had  stuck  in  his  mouth, 
she  darted  off  at  a  great  rate,  but  sad  to  relate,  the  rope  as  it 
flew  out  over  the  bulwark,  got  twisted  round  one  of  Mr, 
Mole's  stumps,  and  the  worthy  professor  flew  into  the  ocean 
For  a  wooden-legged  man  to  swim  well,  or  even  to  keep  him 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  269 

self  afloat  by  treading  water,  is  a  somewhat  difficult  task  and 
so  Mr.  Mole  would  have  found  it,  had  not  Harry  Girdwood 
promptly  followed  the  advice  given  by  a  celebrated  Amer- 
ican— 

"  When  you  see  a  drowning  man,  throw  a  rail  at  him." 

Harry  threw  a  plank,  and  Mr.  Mole  being  fortunate  enough 
to  clutch  it,  was  thereby  enabled  to  keep  himself  afloat. 

But  he  was  exposed  to  another  danger. 

The  shark  being  irritated  by  the  rusty  iron  in  his  throat, 
was  rushing  hither  and  thither  in  a  most  furious  manner, 
snapping  his  jaws  in  a  way  that  made  the  spectators  thankful 
they  were  on  deck. 

And  then,  turning  on  its  back,  it  bit  at  Mole. 

"  Help,  help  !  "  shouted  Mole. 

"  Oh  !  the  brute  has  taken  my  leg  off." 

The  shark  resumed  its  natural  position,  and  held  Mole's 
stump  above  water,  puzzled  to  know  what  to  do  with  it. 

"  This  is  my  fault,"  said  young  Jack,  and  seizing  a  cutlass, 
he  leaped  overboard. 

"  Lower  away  the  boat,"  shouted  Dick  Harvey,  who  had 
just  come  on  deck. 

He  and  Jefferson  had  also  armed  themselves,  and  were 
about  to  leap  in  to  young  Jack's  assistance,  when  Harkaway 
senior  appeared. 

"  Hold,  let  no  man  here  risk  his  life,"  he  said. 

"  But " 

"  But  the  excitement  will  do  me  good,  I  want  a  good  fight 
to  keep  my  spirits  up." 

While  speaking  he  had  thrown  off  his  coat  and  shoes,  and  cut- 
lass in  hand,  leaped  to  the  rescue  of  his  son  and  old  Mole. 

By  this  time,  however,  the  boat  had  been  lowered  and  was 
pulling  rapidly  towards  Mr.  Mole,  who  still  clung  to  his 
plank  about  thirty  yards  from  the  stern  of  the  vessel. 

Old  Jack  with  a  few  powerful  strokes  reached  him. 

"  Hold  on,  Mr.  Mole ;  the  boat  is  coming.  You  young- 
ster, swim  out  of  the  way  at  once." 

"  I'm  going  to  fight  the  fish,  dad." 

"  You  are  not.      Away  with  you  at  once." 

During  this  brief  conversation  the  shark  had  been  down 
out  of  sight.  He  now  rose  to  the  surface,  and  perceiving  three 
enemies,  seemed  undecided  which  to  attack  first. 

And  while  the  fish  was  hesitating,  Harkaway  resolved  to 
open  the  campaign. 


270  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOWS 

Accordingly  he  dived,  with  the  intention  of  coming  up 
beneath  the  fish  and  administering  a  stab. 

Old  Jack  Tiller  and  Joe  Basalt  were  just  at  that  moment 
angaged  in  hauling  Mr.  Mole  into  the  boat ;  they  had  him 
half  way  over  the  gunwale,  when  the  shark  made  a  snap  and 
away  went  the  professor's  other  leg. 

"  Mercy,  help  !  The  beast  is  devouring  me  by  inches," 
screamed  Mole,  as  he  rolled  headlong  into  the  boat. 

Joe  Basalt  seeing  that  young  Jack  was  still  itching  to  have 
a  go  at  the  shark,  seized  him  by  the  collar  and  dragged  him 
in.  They  then  rested  on  their  oars  and  prepared  to  give  the 
elder  Harkaway  any  assistance  they  could. 

"  I  lay  five  to  three  against  the  monster  of  the  deep,"  said 
Harvey. 

"  I  accept  the  wager  on  those  terms,"  said  Mole,  who 
having  discovered  that  he  was  unhurt,  was  reviving. 

He  took  another  swig  at  the  pistol  and  then  sat  up  to 
watch  the  conflict. 

The  shark,  finding  he  had  now  only  one  opponent  to  deal 
with,  turned  towards  Harkaway,  who  dived  again,  and  getting 
this  time  fairly  beneath  the  fish,  thrust  his  cutlass  up  to  the 
hilt  in  its  stomach. 

Startled  by  this  sudden  attack,  and  smarting  from  the 
pain  caused  by  the  wound,  the  shark  leaped,  up  half  out  of 
the  water,  and  then  fell  with  a  loud  splash  close  by  Jack. 

Everyone  on  board  was  by  this  time  on  deck,  watching 
the  unequal  struggle. 

While  the  shark  was  twisting  and  turning  to  get  at  its 
adversary,  Jack  managed  to  give  a  second  stab ;  but  it  was 
rather  hot  work,  though,  for  Jack  was  obliged  to  dive  so 
frequently  that  he  had  little  time  to  recover  his  breath. 

He  was  just  endeavouring  to  do  so,  when  the  shark  made 
another  rush  at  him. 

Old  Jack  dived  again,  and  young  Jack  would  have  been 
over  to  his  father's  assistance  had  not  Joe  Basalt  forcibly 
restrained  him. 

A  third  stab  made  the  shark  feel  very  queer  indeed. 

In  fact,  Harkaway  thought  the  fish  was  done  for,  and  had 
struck  out  for  the  ship,  but  just  as  he  grasped  a  rope  and 
permitted  himself  to  be  drawn  up,  the  shark  recovered  and 
made  another  most  vicious  dart  at  him. 

Our  hero,  who  had,  in  his  time,  vanquished  so  many  foes, 
felt  hardly  inclined  to  let  a  shark  get  the  best  of  him. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


271 


He  dropped  from  the  rope  and  sank  beneath  the  waves 
iust  as  the  head  of  the  brute  emerged  therefrom. 

Then  up  again  like  a  shot ;  and  the  keen  cutlass  tore  its 
way  through  the  vitals  of  the  fish. 

Then  a  fin  was  lopped  off,  and  a  few  seconds  afterwards 
the  huge  carcase  was  seen  floating  on  the  waves. 

Harkaway  seized  the  rope  and  fastened  it  round  the  head 
and  tail  of  his  vanquished  foe,  which  was  then  hauled  on 
deck. 

"  Bravo,  old  man,"  exclaimed  Harvey,  shaking  his  school- 
fellow by  the  hand. 

"  You  did  that  well." 

"  Though  you  were  certainly  a  long  time  about  it," 
observed  Moli.  "  J  could  have " 

"  You  could  have  paid  me  three  sovs.  by  this  time," 
replied  Harvey, "  so  just  out  with  the  dust.'* 

Mole  made  no  reply. 

Jefferson  then  added  his  congratulations. 

"  Pshaw  !  "  said  Jack.     «  Mr.  Mole  did  it  all." 

"  How  ?  " 

"  Whyy  he  poisoned  the  poor  shark  with  his  wooden  legs. 
It's  enough  to  make  a  fish  disgusted  with  life." 

A  loud  laugh  followed. 

'*  Meanwhile, "  said  Mole,"  will  some-one  be  good  enough 
to  give  me  a  lift  ?  " 

The  professor  was  hoisted  up  on  deck,  and  when  they  had 
all  changed  their  clothes,  and  the  great  shark-killer  had 
shipped  two  new  wooden  pins,  he  grew  quit  as  bounceable 
as  ever. 

Especially  as  the  death  of  the  last  shark  was  still  jocularly 
atributed  to  him. 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 

OLD  JOE  PLOTS  WITH  HUNSTON — WHAT  CAME  OP  THE  PLOT. 

THE  Harkaway  family  and  their  guests  were  all  assembled 
at  dinner,  after  the  shark-fishing,  when  the  conversation 
turned  upon  upon  their  old  enemy. 

"  I  wish  we  were  fairly  rid  of  him,"  said  Mrs.  Harkaway, 
"  for  all  the  while  he  is  on  board,  I  feel  as  if  some  misfort- 
une were  hanging  over  us." 


272  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

Jack  smiled. 

"  Have  you  had  any  dreams,  Emily  ?  "  he  asked,  slily. 

"  Don't  learn  to  mock,  sir,"  retorted  the  lady,  with  mock 
asperity.  "  You  have  been  influenced  by  dreams  yourself 
before  now." 

Jack  looked  serious. 

"  That's  true." 

"  And  we  owe  this  wretched  man  nothing " 

"  But  hate." 

"  We  do  that,"  said  Jefferson  ;  "  but  he  is  a  miserable 
wretch,  and  we  can  afford  to  let  him  off  cheaply,  without 
paying  old  scores." 

"  What  do  you  wish  to  do,  then  ? "  demanded  Harkaway. 
"  I  am  willing  to  abide  by  the  decision  you  may  come  to. " 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Mole,  "  I  propose  that  he  shall  be  put 
inshore." 

"  When  ? " 

There  was  the  rub. 

They  were  many  weary  miles  away  from  the  sight  of  land. 

"  Put  him  ashore  the  first  time  that  we  come  within  reach 
of  land,"  suggested  Harvey. 

"  We  will,"  said  Harkaway,  "  if  that  is  the  general  wish." 

«  It  is." 

It  was  put  to  the  vote  and  found  that  everybody,  without 
a  single  exception,  was  desirous  of  seeing  the  back  of  Hun- 
ston. 

Who  can  wonder  ? 

None. 

"  Well,  well,"  said  old  Jack,  "  that  is  agreed  upon.  And 
now,  Emily,  my  dear,  I  hope  that  your  mind  is  at  rest." 

"  Almost." 

"  What !  doesn't  that  satisfy  you  yet  ? " 

"  For  the  present ;  but  I  shall  be  all  the  more  satisfied 
when  he  is  really  out  of  the  place  altogether,  for  he  is  a 
regular  nightmare  to  me." 

"  You  are  fanciful,  my  dear,"  said  old  Jack. 

"  Perhaps  ;  but  there  have  been  times  when  you  have  not 
made  so  light  of  my  presentiments,"  said  Emily. 

As  these  words  were  spoken,  the  saloon  door  was  opened 
and  who  should  enter  but  Joe  Basalt. 

Now  old  Joe  wore  a  face  as  long  as  a  fiddle,  and  address- 
ing Harkaway  he  requested  a  few  words  in  private. 

"  Presently,  Joe,"  said  Harkaway. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


273 


The  old  tar  twisted  his  hat  round  and  waited. 

''What,  won't  presently  do  for  you  ?  " 

**  I'd  sooner  out  with  it  at  once,"  said  Joe. 

"  Well,  out  with  it,"  said  Harkaway. 

*'  Before  everyone,  your  honour  ?  "  Joe  demanded. 

"  Yes." 

He  looked  shyly  about  him,  and  cast  a  furtive  glance  at 
the  ladies  before  he  ventured  to  speak  out. 

"  I  want  to  break  it  to  your  honour  as  gently  as  possible, 
and  I  want  to  know  what  your  honour  thinks  of  me  ?" 

Old  Jack  stared. 

"  Why,  really,  Joe " 

"  I  think  Joe  wants  to  know  if  you  think  he's  handsome," 
suggested  Dick  Harvey. 

"  Do  you  admire  the  cut  of  his  figurehead  ? "  chimed  in 
young  Jack. 

But  Joe  Basalt  was  evidently  too  much  upset  and  pre- 
occupied by  something  on  his  mind  to  heed  this  chaff. 

"  No,  your  honour,"  he  said,  fiercely,  "  what  I  want  to 
know  is  — do  you  consider  me  a  d d  mutineering  swab  ? " 

"Joe,  Joe,"  exclaimed  Harkaway,  laughing  in  spite  of 
himself,  "  moderate  your  language  ;  remember  that  there  are 
ladies  present." 

Joe  reddened  to  the  roots  of  his  hair. 

"  I  ax  their  pardon,  every  mother's  son  of  them,"  he  said , 
tugging  at  his  forelock ;  "but  my  feelin's  carries  me  away." 

"  Tell  us  what  it  is,  then,"  said  Jefferson,  "  and  perhaps 
we  can  offer  advice." 

"  Well,  then,  sir,  I've  been  insulted." 

"  I  see,  I  see,"  said  Jefferson  ;  "  you  have  been  having  a 
row  with  one  of  your  messmates." 

"  And  you  have  punched  his  head  ?  "  suggested  young 
Jack. 

"  Serve  him  right,  too,  Joe,"  said  Harry  Girdwood. 

"  No,  no,  young  gentlemen,"  said  Joe,  "  I  ain't  done  that, 
or  else  I  should  be  quite  happy — that's  just  it — because  I 
wanted  his  honour's  permission." 

"  What  ? " 

"  To  give  him  a  good  licking,"  urged  Joe  Basalt ;  "  you 
see,  I  couldn't  well  do  it  without,  as  it's  the  stowaway." 

The  interest  of  the  whole  of  the  company  redoubled  at 
this. 

"  He's  been  at  his  tricks  again,"  said  Joe. 

18 


274  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOA'S 

"  I  thought  SO." 

"  And  d d  dirty  tricks  they  are,  too.    The  swab  can't  do 

nothing  fair  and  square  and  above  board.     He  allers  cruises 
about  in  a  nasty,  sly,  piratical  way." 

"  What  is  it  ?    Tell  us  at  once." 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  will.  Why,  you  see,  the  fact  is,  he  has  been 
a-sounding  me  about  trying  if  the  crew  is  satisfied  with  your 
honour." 

A  low  murmur  went  from  mouth  to  mouth  around  the 
table. 

"  He's  never  trying  to  undermine  you,  old  fidelity  !  "  ejac- 
ulated Harkaway. 

Joe  nodded. 

"  That's  it,  your  honour." 

"Villain!" 

"And  what's  more,  he's  been  trying  it  on  with  Jack 
Tiller." 

"  He  has  ?  " 

Harkaway's  brow  darkened,  and  the  expression  of  his  face 
grew  ominous. 

"  How  did  Jack  Tiller  meet  his  advances  ?  "  asked  Harvey. 

"  Why,  Jack  ain't  got  no  command  over  himself,  and  so 
he " 

Joe  paused. 

"  So  what  ?  " 

"Why,  Jack  gave  him  one  for  himself;  but  he  ain't  dam- 
aged him  much,"  Joe  hastened  to  add  apologetically,  "  for 
Jack  Tiller  knows  his  dooty  better  than  that,  your  honour. 
No,  he's  only  put  one  of  his  toplights  into  mourning." 

This  sent  the  two  boys  into  ecstasies. 

"  And  so  you  see,  your  honour,  when  he  opened  fire  on  to 
me,  I  could  hardly  believe  it  possible,  until  he  put  it  plainer, 
and  then  I  was  so  staggered  that  I  did  not  know  what  to  do, 
so  I  thought  I  would  come  and  let  you  know." 

Harkaway,  looking  up,  caught  his  wife's  glance  fixed  upon 
him. 

"  You  see,  it  doesn't  do  to  scoff  at  secret  apprehensions," 
she  said,  quietly. 

"  No,  no.  This  shall  be  seen  to  at  once,"  he  answered, 
rising  from  his  seat.  "  Come  with  me,  Dick,  and  you,  Jeffer- 
son." 

They  left  the  cabin,  followed  by  old  Joe  Basalt. 

Now,  when  they  got  on  deck,  Jack  Harkaway  led  the  way 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


275 


to  a  part  where  they  were  alone,  and  not  likely  to  be  dis- 
tiubed. 

"Now,  Joe,"  said  he,  "  I  have  been  thinking  this  matter 
over.  I  know  you  have  only  spoken  the  truth,  without  a 
word  of  exaggeration.  But  we  must  catch  the  villain  in  his 
own  snare." 

"  How,  your  honour  ? " 

"  I'll  tell  you.  You  must  go  back  to  this  traitor,  and  you 
must  play  the  part  of  a  willing  listener." 

"  A  what  ?  " 

•"  A  willing  listener.  You  must  let  him  think  you  are 
ready  to  join  in  his  villainy,  do  you  see  ?  " 

"  I  do,  your  honour,  but  damme  if  I  like  it." 

"You  will  have  to  like  it  in  this  instance,  Joe,  for  the 
good  of  us  all.  This  man  is  the  worst  villain  alive.  I  have 
forgiven  him  more  wrongs  than  you  would  think  it  possible 
to  forgive ;  but  now  the  safety  of  all  is  concerned,  and  it 
must  be  done." 

Joe  scratched  his  head,  and  looked  troubled. 

"  If  that's  orders,  your  honour,  I've  nothing  but  to  obey." 

"  Right,  Joe." 


Having  primed  Joe  Basalt  up  in  his  lesson,  they  marched 
off  to  Hunston's  cabin,  and  Joe  entered,  while  Harkaway, 
Dick  Harvey,  and  Jefferson  took  up  a  position  near  where 
they  could  overhear  what  was  going  on  within. 

"  Well,  shipmate,"  said  Basalt,  "how  goes  it?" 

Hunston  was  lying  on  his  side,  holding  a  damp  towel  to 
his  damaged  eye. 

He  only  turned  round,  and  grunted  some  few  ungracious 
words. 

"  I've  brought  you  some  news,"  said  Joe,  repeating  his 
lesson  ;  "  there  is  a  regular  shine  on  deck." 

Hunston  turned  quickly  round  at  this. 

"  What's  wrong  ? "  he  asked,  anxiously.  "  You  haven't 
been  saying  any  thing,  because  I'm  sure  you  were  mistaken, 
a« » 

"  As  Jack  Tiller  was." 

"  Yes." 

And  Hunston  fondled  the  blackened  eye,  mentally  cursing 
Tiller  and  his  hard,  horny  fist. 

"  Not  1,"  said  Joe  Basalt,  "  not  I.     There's  a  row  aloft,  I 


2  76  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  H2S  SON 'S 

told  you.  Three  men  have  been  put  into  irons,  and  I  have 
got  into  trouble  as  well." 

"What  for?" 

"  Nothing,"  answered  Joe  Basalt,  with  a  surly  imitation  of 
anger.  '*  That's  just  it,  for  nothing,  and  aren't  they  up  in 
the  stirrups  neither  ?  " 

"  They  are ! "  exclaimed  Hunston. 

"  Rather." 

"  And  what  do  they  say  ? " 

"  Say ! "  exclaimed  Basalt.  "  Why,  they'd  as  lief  draw  a 
cutlass  over  his  weasand,  as  they'd  smash  a  ship's  biscuit." 

Hunston's  pale  face  grew  crimson  at  these  words. 

"  That's  good,"  he  said  ;  "  they're  men  of  spirit." 

"  That  they  are." 

"  And  the  rest  of  the  crew  ;  what  do  they  say  of  it  ?  " 

"  Why,  they  are  all  up  about  it ;  all  to  a  man.  So  if  you 
have  a  good  thing  to  offer,  I'll  undertake  to  say  as  they'll 
volunteer  to  a  man." 

"  Good." 

"  And  leave  them  Harkaway  folks  in  the  lurch  here,  as 
they  deserve,  the  mean  beasts." 

"Mean,  indeed,"  echoed  Hunston,  secretly  chuckling. 
M  Why,  they're  worse  than  mean." 

"  So  you'd  say  if  you  only  knew  what  a  palaver  they've 
made  about  having  you  here,  pretending  as  it's  all  charity 
and  the  like,  when,  of  course,  we  know *' 

"  That  it's  all  your  goodness,  and  that  of  your  hot-headed 
comrade." 

"  Don't  speak  of  Jack  Tiller,  my  friend,"  said  Joe,  who 
was  working  into  his  part  capitally  by  this  time ;  "  he  sees 
now  what  a  fool  he  has  made  of  himself." 

'  Did  he  say  so  ?  " 

1  Yes." 

'  Why  did  he  go  on  so  ?  " 

'  He  quite  misunderstood  your  meaning.** 

'  The  deuce  he  did.  Why,  however  could  that  be  ?  I 
was  pretty  explicit." 

"  He  thought  that  it  was  to  sell  him.  In  fact,  he  made 
sure  as  you  had  overheard  us  grumbling  together  about  the 
skipper,  and  that  you  was  a-trying  it  on  only  to  tejj  Mt 
Harkaway  all  about  it" 

"Did  he  say  so?" 

«  Yes." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


277 


"Then  undeceive  him  immediately." 

"  I  have  done  so." 

"  As  for  this,"  added  Hunston,  pointing  to  his  discoloured 
eye  and  cheek,  "  I  think  nothing  of  it.  All  I'll  ask  of  him 
is  that  he  shall  do  as  much  for  Harkaway." 

"That  he  will,"  said  Joe,  with  sham  heartiness.  "And 
now  how  soon  shall  the  ship  be  ours  ?  " 

Hunston  glanced  anxiously  towards  the  door. 

"There's  no  fear,"  said  Joe,  answering  his  look;  "they 
are  all  too  busy  for'ard,  talking  about  them  poor  devils  in 
irons." 

"  Brutes  ! " 

"  Aye,  that  they  are.  But  when  shall  we  get  them  free 
from  their  floating  prison,  cos  that's  what  it  seems  a-coming 
to  ? " 

"  I'll  tell  you,"  answered  Hunston,  sinking  his  voice, 
"  we'll  serve  the  Harkaway  party  as  he  served  your  mess- 
mates." 

"  How  ? " 

"  Put  them  in  irons." 

Joe  Basalt  gave  a  start  at  this. 

"  And  if  they  would  not  go  ? " 

"  Chuck  them  overboard,  all,  everyone  of  them,  except  the 
women." 

"  I  should  hardly  like  doing  that,"  said  Joe. 

" Then  that  shall  be  my  task"  exclaimed  Hunston,  warm- 
ing up  as  he  unfolded  his  diabolical  scheme.  *  I  should 
like  to  do  that  part  of  it  myself.  I  swore  to  finish  them  all 
off,"  he  added,  more  to  himself  than  to  Joe,  "  and  I  shall 
keep  my  oath  after  all,  I  begin  to  think.  I'll  throw  them  all 
overboard — Harkaway,  Jefferson,  Harvey,  all." 

He  looked  up  suddenly  at  the  door. 

Three  big  forms  stood  upon  the  threshold  of  the  cabin. 

The  three  whose  names  Hunston  had  just  uttered. 

Harkaway,  Jefferson,  and  Dick  Harvey. 

"  I  thought  I  heard  you  call  us,"  said  the  latter. 

Hunston's  colour  fled  from  his  cheek. 

He  looked  from  one  to  the  other. 

Then  he  glanced  at  Joe  Basalt. 

Harkaway  was  the  first  to  break  the  silence. 

"  Hunston." 

The  sound  echoed  dismally,  as  though  uttered  in  some 
bare-walled  cavern. 


278  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOWS 

"  Yes,"  he  faltered,  struggling  to  appear  at  his  ease. 

"  Come." 

"  Where  to  ?  " 

Harkaway  pointed  silently  to  the  door. 

"What  do  you  want  with  me?" 

"  Can't  you  guess  ?  " 

The  words  were  simple  ones,  yet    they  sounded 
death-knell  to  him. 

"  We  have  heard  all ;  every  word.  This  crowning  act  of 
villany  and  ingratitude,  baser  than  ever  entered  the  mind  of 
man,  has  doomed  you.  Follow  me." 

Appalled,  half  stunned  with  fear,  the  miserable  wretch 
tottered  after  Harkaway. 

Close  upon  his  heels  came  Jefferson  and  Dick,  while  Jo& 
Basalt  brought  up  the  rear. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

THE  TRIAL — HUNSTON's   PUNISHMENT. 

"  PIPE  all  hands  on  deck !  " 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir." 

The  crew  came  tumbling  up. 

And  when  they  were  all  assembled,  Jefferson  and  Dick 
Harvey  ranged  them  round  in  position,  while  Harkaway, 
with  Hunston  close  by  his  side,  stood  forward  to  address 
them. 

"  My  men,"  said  he,  "  I  have  had  you  called  togethei 
upon  no  pleasant  errand.  But  it  is  a  question  of  duty,  and. 
therefore,  pleasant  or  unpleasant,  must  be  done.  What  we 
have  to  do  is  an  act  of  justice,  and  I  don't  wish  that  anyone 
should  be  able  to  impugn  my  motives.  I  would  not  leave  it 
in  the  power  of  any  man  to  say  that  I  ever  behaved  unjustly 
to  my  worst  enemy." 

"  Hurrah !  " 

A  ringing  cheer  greeted  Harkaway. 

"  Now,  my  men,  what  I  have  to  say  to  you  concerns  my 
own  and  my  family  history,  perhaps,  more  than  it  does  you. 
You  have  all  heard  my  poor  boy's  adventures  when  he  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  Greek  brigands  ? " 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE. 


279 


"  Aye,  aye,  sir." 

"  You  know  who  it  was  that  was  instrumental  in  getting 
him  condemned  to  death." 

"  It  was  that  sneaking  lubber,  Hunston,"  cried  several 
voices  at  once. 

"  It  was.  I  need  not  enlarge  upon  all  he  has  done  to 
merit  the  worst  punishment  it  is  in  our  power  to  bestow,  if 
ever  he  should  fall  into  our  hands — the  worst  I  say,  eh  ? " 

"  Yes, him  ! "   said   a  voice,  with  a  very   strong 

expletive. 

The  approval  of  the  crew  was  perfectly  unanimous. 

In  vain  did  Hunston  look  about  him  for  one  of  those 
disaffected  men  of  whom  Joe  Basalt  had  spoken. 

Not  a  vestige  of  any  thing  like  opposition  to  the  general 
sentiments  did  he  trace  in  any  of  those  weather-beaten, 
honest  countenances. 

"  Well,"  resumed  Harkaway,  "  and  what  would  you  say 
if,  after  that  I  have  forgiven  him,  taken  him  in  hand  and 
had  him  carefully  tended  and  nursed,  what  would  you  say  if 
even  then  he  tried  to  wrong  me — to  ensnare  innocent,  well- 
meaning  men,  into  a  murderous  plot  against  my  life  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  should  say  as  he's  the  blackest-hearted  lubber 
ashore  or  afloat,"  said  one. 

"  One  word  more,"  said  Harkaway.  "  What  should  we  do 
to  this  wretch  if  we  had  him  here  in  our  power  ? " 

"  Give  him  a  round  dozen,  to  begin  with,"  suggested  Sam 
Mason. 

"  And  then  string  him  up." 

A  cheer  came  from  a  score  of  throats. 

"  Men,"  said  Harkaway,  "  this  is  the  villain,  Hunston." 

A  pause. 

The  men  were  so  thoroughly  taken  by  surprise  at  this  that 
they  had  not  a  word  to  say  for  themselves. 

"  I  was  anxious  to  spare  him,"  said  Harkaway,  in  conclu- 
sion, "  for  although  he  has  always  been  false,  treacherous, 
and  cruel,  I  could  not  forget  that  he  was  a  fellow-countryman, 
and  that  we  were  boys  together.  I  would  have  returned 
good  for  evil,  he  refused  it ;  I  now  mean  to  try  evil  for  evil." 

The  men  applauded  this  to  the  echo. 

Joe  Basalt  and  his  comrade  Jack  Tiller  passed  the  word 
forward  from  mouth  to  mouth. 

They  told  their  shipmates  what  had  taken  place,  and  so 
thoroughly  incensed  them  against  him  that  his  life  would  not 


28o  JACK  HARK  A  WAY  AND  HIS  SON 'S 

have   been    worth   five  minutes'  purchase   had  Harkaway, 
Jefferson,  and  Dick  Harvey  absented  themselves. 

"  Come,"  said  Jefferson,  "  it  is  growing  late ;  let  us  settle 
it  off-hand." 

"  What  is  the  verdict  ?  "  said  Harvey.  "  Let  the  men 
decide." 

Their  decision  did  not  take  long  at  arriving  at.  As  if  with 
a  single  voice,  the  men  responded — 

"  Death  !  " 

A  sickening  sensation  stole  over  Hunston. 

There  was  enough  in  that  to  appal  the  stoutest  heart,  it  is 
true,  and  he  now  felt  that  it  was  all  over. 

"  Very  good,"  said  Harkaway.     "  His  fate  is  with  you." 

"  String  him  up  to  the  yardarm  at  once,  then,"  suggested 
Sam  Mason. 

"Tie  him  up  by  the  heels  and  let's  shoot  at  him." 

"  Let  him  walk  the  plank." 

"  No ;  hanging  is  better  fun.  It's  a  dog's  death  that  he 
has  earned,  so  let  him  have  his  deserts." 

A  rope  was  got  and  the  end  of  it  was  flung  over  the 
yardarm,  and  a  running  noose  made  in  it. 

Then  rough  hands  were  laid  upon  the  doomed  man. 

This  aroused  him  into  lifting  his  voice  in  his  own  behalf. 

"  Harkaway,"  he  said,  "  do  you  know  that  this  is  murder — 
cold-blooded  murder  ? " 

'  So  is  every  execution,  even  if  sanctioned  by  law. " 
'  But  it  is  done  upon  ample  proof." 
1  We  have  proof  enough." 

'  You  haven't  a  single  witness  against  me,"  said  Hunston, 
eagerly. 
'  Plenty." 

'  Where's  one  ?  Let  go,  I  tell  you,"  he  cried  frantically, 
at  the  men  who  were  dragging  him  towards  the  rope.  "  This 
is  murder ;  you'll  hang  for  it,  Harkaway  ;  you'll — cowards ! 
all  of  you  upon  one." 

But  they  did  not  pay  much  heed  to  his  ravings. 

"  Do  you  hear,  H  arkaway  ? "  he  cried.  "  This  is  murder, 
whatever  you  call  it.  It  will  hang  you  yet ;  at  the  least,  it 
will  transport  you  for  life." 

Harkaway  smiled. 

"  I  shall  not  soil  my  fingers  in  the  matter." 

"  It  is  your  work !  "  now  yelled  Hunston,  struggling  with 
mad  desperation. 


AD  VENTURES  IN  GREECE.  2  8 1 

"Then  we'll  all  have  a  hand  in  it,"  said  Harkaway; 
"  we'll  all  pull  together,  so  that  no  one  can  fix  it  upon  his 
fellow " 

"  You'll  not  escape,"  yelled  the  miserable  wretch.  "  You'll 
swing  for  it  yourself ;  you  will,  I  swear.  You  have  no  wit- 
nesses ;  these  two  sailors  are  notorious  liars." 

"  Take  that,  you  swab,"  cried  Joe  Basalt,  dashing  his  fist 
in  his  face. 

"They  are  greater  curs  than  yourself,"  yelled  Hunston; 
"  such  witnesses  would  swear  away  your  own  life  for  a  glass 
of  grog — witnesses  indeed " 

He  stopped  short. 

His  glance  fell  upon  two  forms  standing  close  by — young 
Jack  and  Harry  Gird  wood. 

Both  were  dressed  as  he  had  last  seen  them  in  the  mountain 
haunt  of  the  brigands. 

Hunston  was  still  in  ignorance  of  the  rescue  of  the  boys. 

For  all  he  knew,  their  bodies  were  rotting  in  their  moun- 
tain grave  in  Greece. 

They  bent  upon  him  the  same  sad  and  stern  look  which 
had  been  so  efficacious  before,  and  he  cowered  before 
them. 

Appalled  at  the  horrible  phantoms  come  to  mock  him  at 
his  last  moments,  he  clapped  his  hand  to  his  eyes  in  the  vain 
endeavour  to  shut  out  the  sight. 

Vain,  indeed,  for  the  sight  possessed  a  horrible  fascination 
for  him,  which  no  pen  can  describe. 

"  Down,  and  beg  for  mercy,"  said  young  Jack,  solemnly. 

"  On  your  knees,  wretch  I "  added  Harry  Girdwood. 

"  Hah  !  " 

The  two  boys  pointed  together  to  the  feet  of  Harkaway 
senior. 

The  condemned  man  caught  at  their  meaning  at  once. 

A  wild  cry  of  hope  came  from  his  lips,  and  he  burst  from 
the  sailors  who  held  him  and  threw  himself  at  Harkaway's 
feet. 

"  Mercy,  mercy,  Harkaway ! "  he  cried,  piteously.  "  Have 
mercy,  for  the  love  of  Heaven,  as  you  hope  for  mercy  your- 
self hereafter." 

Harkaway  gazed  on  him  in  silence. 

"  Look  there,"  cried  Hunston,  wildly,  pointing  to  where 
the  two  boys  stood  still  in  contemplation  of  the  scene. 
"  Look  there  ;  see,  they  are  begging  for  mercy  for  me." 


282  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

"  Who  ?  Where  ? "  demanded  Harkaway,  in  considerable 
astonishment. 

"Your  own  son,  your  own  boy;  don't  you  see  him?" 
pursued  Hunston,  wildly. 

"  Look.  No.  It  is  my  own  fancy,  my  fear-stricken  mind, 
which  conjures  up  these  horrible  visions.  Ugh  !  " 

And  he  cowered  down  at  Harkaway's  feet  with  averted 
glance,  endeavouring  to  shut  out  the  fearsome  sight. 

"  Take  him  away,"  said  Harkaway  to  the  men. 

They  advanced  and  laid  hands  upon  him,  but  Hunston 
fought  madly  with  them  and  clung  to  Harkaway's  knees  in 
desperation. 

It  was  his  last  chance,  he  felt  positive. 

"Think,  Harkaway,  think,"  he  cried  again  and  again. 
"  Remember  our  boyhood's  days ;  remember  our  youth, 
passed  at  school  together.  We  were  college  chums,  and " 

"  No ;  not  quite,"  interrupted  Dick  Harvey  in  disgust. 
"  We  were  at  Oxford  together,  but  never  chums." 

"  You  were  never  the  sort  of  man  that  one  would  care  to 
chum  with,"  added  Harkaway. 

"Never!" 

"Take  him  away." 

Hunston  gave  a  loud  yell  of  despair,  and  gazed  around 
him. 

Again  his  glance  was  riveted  by  the  sight  of  the  two  boys 
standing  in  the  same  attitude,  and  then  horror-stricken, 
appalled,  he  sank  upon  the  ground  all  of  a  heap  and  half 
fainting. 

A  miserable,  a  piteous  object  indeed. 

*  *  *    '          *  *  * 

"  Hunston,"  said  Harkaway,  after  a  few  minutes'  pause, 
"  you  bade  me  think.  It  is  my  turn  to  bid  you  think.  If 
your  white-livered  fears  had  not  blinded  your  judgment,  you 
would  have  known  that  your  life  is  safe  here." 

Hunston  raised  his  head  slowly. 

He  gazed  about  him  with  the  same  vacant  look,  utterly 
Unable  to  realise  the  meaning  of  Harkaway's  words. 

"  You  jest,"  he  faltered. 

"  We  are  not  butchers,"  said  Jefferson,  sternly. 

Humbled,  degraded,  though  he  was,  these  words  of  hope 
sent  the  blood  coursing  through  his  veins  wildly. 

Saved ! 

Was  it  possible  ? 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  283 

Young  Jack  stepped  out  of  the  circle  and  approached  the 
miserable  wretch. 

"  When  we  last  stood  face  to  face,  and  when  you  ordered 
the  Greek  brigands  to  fire  on  us,  Hunston,  I  told  you  that 
this  would  come  about." 

Hunston  shrank  affrightedly  before  the  lad. 

"  I  told  you,  Hunston,"  continued  young  Jack,  "  that  the 
time  would  come  when  you  would  grovel  in  the  dirt  and  beg 
your  life  from  my  father.  That  time  has  come,  you  see. 
Like  the  miserable  cur  that  you  are,  you  grovel  and  beg  and 
pray  in  a  way  that  I  would  never  condescend  to  do  to  you. 
You  have  tasted  all  the  horrors  of  anticipation,  and  that  is 
worse  than  death  itself.  Now,  perhaps,  you  know  what  I 
and  my  comrade  Harry  felt  when  you  condemned  us  to 
death." 

"  We  told  you,"  added  Harry  Gird  wood  quietly,  "  that  it 
would  come  home  to  you ;  it  has." 

During  the  foregoing,  Hunston  began  to  realise  the  truth. 

They  lived. 

"  Get  up,"  said  Jefferson  ;  "  it  is  time  to  end  this  sicken- 
ing scene." 

Hunston  slowly  rose  to  his  feet 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  the  captain,  stepping  forward,  "  but 
as  captain  of  this  ship — under  your  orders,  Mr.  Harkaway, 
of  course — I  can't  see  how  it  is  possible  to  allow  his  offence 
to  go  unpunished.  You  are  of  course  at  liberty  to  forgive 
him  for  any  wrong  he  may  have  done  you  all,  but  with  all 
due  deference  I  must  set  my  face  against  winking  at  such 
offences  as  he  has  committed  on  board  this  ship." 

"  Listen  to  the  skipper,"  added  another  of  the  crew. 

"  To  let  him  off  scot  free  would  be  to  encourage  insubordi- 
nation and  mutiny,  in  fact." 

"  Then  I  leave  it  to  you,  captain,"  said  Harkaway ;  "  I 
shall  not  interfere  in  your  management  of  the  ship." 

Hunston's  heart  sank. 

"  Get  rid  of  him  at  once,"  suggested  Harvey. 

"  How  ? " 

"  Lower  him  in  a  boat ;  provision  it  for  a  month  and  set 
him  adrift." 

"  Good." 

"  Do  that,"  said  Hunston,  "  and  you  consign  me  to  a 
living  death,  worse  than  any  tortures  that  savages  could 
inflict." 


284  JACK  HARK  A  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SOWS 

He  remembered  too  well  how  he  and  Toro  the  Italian  had 
been  cast  adrift  from  the  "  Flowery  Land." 

He  had  not  forgotten  the  horrors  of  that  cruise. 

It  was,  in  truth,  as  he  said,  ten  times  more  horrible  than 
death  at  their  hands  could  be. 

"  My  own  opinion  is,"  said  the  captain,  "  that  his  crime 
should  be  punished  at  once ;  such  a  crime  should  not  be 
allowed  to  pass  on  board  ship." 

"  What  would  you  do  ?  " 

"  Tie  him  up  to  a  grating  and  give  him  four  dozen  lashes." 

A  wild  storm  of  cheering  greeted  this  proposal. 

There  was  some  feeble  attempt  at  opposition  upon  the 
part  of  the  Harkaway  party,  but  this  was  overruled  by  the 
captain  and  crew. 

"  I'm  not  a  cruel  man,  gentlemen,"  said  the  captain,  "  but 
I  must  side  with  the  crew  in  this.  Now,  we'll  give  him 
every  chance.  I  propose  to  let  him  off  if  there  is  a  single 
voice  raised  in  his  favour." 

Not  a  word  was  spoken. 

"  If  any  of  you  think,  my  men,  that  he  should  not  be 
punished,  he  shall  escape.  Let  any  man  stand  forth  and  it 
shall  settle  it.  I  will  allow  him  to  escape  and  not  question 
the  motives  of  whosoever  speaks  for  him." 

Hunston  looked  anxiously  around  him. 

Not  a  voice. 

Not  so  much  as  a  glance  of  pity  did  he  encounter  there. 

His  only  hope  was  in  the  man  that  he  had  most  wronged 
of  all  there  present,  and  so  in  despair  he  turned  to  Hark- 
away. 

But  the  latter  moved  away  from  the  spot  in  silence. 

Despair. 

Rough,  horny  hands  were  laid  upon  him,  and  his  coat  and 
shirt  were  torn  in  shreds  from  his  back  until  he  stood  stripped 
to  the  waist. 

The  grating  was  rigged  for  punishment,  and  the  culprit 
was  lashed  securely  to  it. 

"  Barclay." 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Stand  forward." 

"  Here,  sir." 

"  Take  the  cat." 

"Yes,  sir." 

This  was  the  youngest  boy  in  the  ship. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  285 

The  lad  took  the  whip  and  poised  it  in  his  hand  eager  to 
begin  operations. 

"  Joe  Basalt." 

"  Yes,  your  honour." 

"  Time  the  strokes." 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir." 

The  boy  Barclay  now  received  his  instructions,  and  noted 
the  same  most  diligently. 

"  Strike  well  up,  not  too  low.  You  understand,  well 
across  the  shoulders." 

"  Yes,  cap'n." 

"  And  don't  be  too  eager  or  too  quick.  Let  each  stroke 
tell  its  own  tale." 

What  were  the  miserable  man's  feelings  when  he  heard 
his  torture  prepared  thus,  with  such  coolness  and  delibera- 
tion, we  leave  you  to  imagine. 

A  momentary  pause  then  occurred,  during  which  every 
one  present  looked  on  with  mixed  sensations  of  eagerness 
and  dread. 

"  One ! " 

A  whizzing  noise. 

Then  a  dull,  heavy  thud,  as  the  thongs  came  in  contact 
with  the  culprit's  back  and  shoulders. 

A  gasp  came  from  the  spectators,  a  convulsive  shudder 
from  the  suffering  wretch  himself. 

And  then  his  shoulders  showed  a  series  of  livid  ridges  of 
bruised  flesh. 

«  Two." 

Down  came  the  lash. 

The  blood  shot  forth  from  the  right  shoulder,  where  there 
was  more  flesh  to  encounter  the  cruel  whip. 

"  Three." 

A  moan  of  utter  anguish  burst  from  the  victim,  whose 
blood  streamed  down  his  back. 

A  sickening,  horrible  sight  to  contemplate. 

"  Four." 

"  Hah  ! " 

"  Come  away,"  exclaimed  Harkaway  ;  "  come  away  from 
this.  It  makes  me  sick  and  faint." 

"  Yes,"  said  Jefferson  ;  "  it  is  not  to  my  taste." 

"  Nor  mine." 

"  Nor  mine,"  said  Dick. 


286  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  &IS  SOJV'S 

"This  may  be  justice,  my  friend,"  said  Jack  Harkaway, 
"  but  it  isn't  English— it  is  not  humanity." 

"  Five." 

A  cry  came  from  the  prisoner. 

"  Cast  him  loose ! "  cried  Harkaway.  "  No  more — no 
more ! " 

But  the  sailors  did  not  appear  to  hear. 

"  Six." 

"  Have  done,  I  say !  "  thundered  Jefferson.  "  Enough  of 
this !  " 

"  Excuse  me,  sir,"  said  the  captain,  "  we  have  a  duty  to 
perform.  I  can  understand  that  it  is  not  pleasant  to  you, 
but " 

"  Seven,"  sang  out  Joe  Basalt,  drowning  every  voice. 

Down  came  the  whip  again. 

And  as  the  thongs  struck  the  lacerated  flesh  of  the  wretched 
man  he  gave  a  piercing  shriek. 

It  sounded  more  like  the  cry  of  some  wild  animal  than 
the  utterance  of  a  human  being. 

"  Eight." 

"  Fetch  the  doctor,"  exclaimed  Harkaway. 

Young  Jack,  who  was  secretly  glad  of  an  excuse  to  begone, 
ran  off  and  brought  the  doctor  up  from  below. 

"  Doctor  Anderson,"  said  Harkaway  hurriedly,  "  I  believe 
sincerely  that  this  man  has  earned  all  he  has  had  and  a 
great  deal  more." 

"  Indeed  he  has,"  said  Doctor  Anderson. 

"  But  I  can't  endure  the  lash.  It  is  savage,  it  is  unworthy 
of  a  civilised  people — it  must  not  go  on.  Stop  it." 

"  How  many  has  he  had  ? " 

The  answer  to  this  came  at  that  identical  moment  from 
Joe  Basalt's  lips. 

"  Twelve." 

As  the  lash  came  down,  the  body  shook  slightly,  and  then 
was  quite  still. 

"Say  that  he  can  bear  no  more,"  said  Harkaway. 
"  They'll  heed  your  report  as  the  doctor." 

"  I  shall  only  say  the  truth,"  said  the  doctor. 

"  You  think  so  ?  " 

"  Of  course.  He  has  fainted.  You'll  kill  him  if  you  go 
on.  Cast  him  loose,  carry  him  to  his  berth." 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  287 


CHAPTER  L. 

MR.  MOLE'S   TROUBLES  AGAIN — AN   ADVENTURE   WITH   NERO — 
LAND  HO  ! THK  FIRST  VIEW  OF  AUSTRALIA. 

LET  us  draw  the  curtain. 

The  particulars  given  in  the  preceding  chapter  must  be  as 
unpleasant  to' the  readers  as  they  were  to  Harkaway,  to  Jeffer- 
son, to  Dick  Harvey,  and  beyond  all  to  Harry  Girdwood  and 
young  Jack. 

They  are  not  agreeable  matters  to  relate,  and  we  gladly 
draw  the  veil  upon  such  a  scene. 

Once  in  the  care  of  Doctor  Anderson,  the  prisoner  was 
tended  carefully,  and  the  doctor's  best  skill  was  employed  in 
bringing  him  back  to  health. 

But  his  convalescence  was  a  long  time  in  being  brought 
about,  for  not  only  was  'he  cruelly  maimed,  but,  to  use  the 
doctor's  own  expression — 

"  The  scourge  had  knocked  him  to  bits  in  health  generally.'' 

*****  * 

'  What  a  capital  sailor  old  Nero  makes,  Harry." 

'  Splendid." 

'  He  only  wants  to  know  how  to  chew." 

4  And  take  grog  like  old  Mole." 

'True,  and  then  he'd  bean  out-and-out  sailor." 

These  words  were  part  of  a  conversation  which  our  two 
young  comrades  were  indulging  in  one  afternoon  towards 
sun-down  as  they  walked  to  and  fro  on  deck. 

They  had  rigged  Nero  out  in  full  nautical  costume,  and 
taught  him  several  sailor  tricks  of  manner. 

He  hitched  up  his  inexpressibles  with  a  jerk  that  the  late 
T.  P.  Cooke  might  have  made  studies  from. 

And  his  bow  and  scrape,  although  more  like  a  stage  sailor 
than  the  real  thing  itself,  were  ticked  off  so  admirably,  that 
you  expected  him  to  start  off  into  a  rattling  hornpipe. 

But  perhaps  the  greatest  treat  of  all  was  to  see  him  pre- 
tending to  take  observations  through  a  telescope. 

"  Nero,"  cried  young  Jack.  . 

The  monkey  ran  up  at  the  word. 

"  Give  us  your  arm,  Nero." 


288  JACK  HARKA  WA  Y  AND  HIS  SON'S 

And  so  drawing  a  paw  under  each  of  their  arms,  they  pro- 
menaded the  deck,  these  three  young  monkeys  together,  to 
the  great  amusement  and  delight  of  the  sailors  generally. 

"  Why,  Joe  !  "  said  Sam  Mason,  "  he  looks  as  great  a  swell 
as  the  port  admiral." 

"  Port  admiral !     As  the  first  lord  himself." 

"Do  you  know,  Joe,  that  Billy  Longbow  had  a  monkey 
once  as  would " 

"  Now  for  a  yarn." 

"  No,  this  is  a  born  fact,"  persisted  Sam  Mason,  stoutly. 
"  Billy  Longbow  had  a  monkey  on  board  ship  as  used  to  mock 
the  bos'en,  and  one  day  when  he  see  the  bos'en  take  out  his 
rattan  to  larrup  one  of  the  powder  monkeys,  Jocko  went  for 
to  give  the  bos'en  one  for  hisself." 

"  By  way  of  protecting  one  of  his  own  species,  I  s'pose," 
suggested  Joe. 

"  Perhaps.  Well,  he  felt  in  all  his  pockets  for  a  rattan, 
and  he  happened  to  get  hold  of  the  tip  of  his  tail.  Now  he 
seed  the  bos'en  lugging  hard  to  get  the  rattan  out  of  his 
pocket,  for  it  had  got  entangled  with  the  lanyard  of  his  jack- 
knife,  and  so  Jocko  tugs  precious  hard  at  his  tail,  presuming 
it  to  be  a  rattan  likewise,  I  s'pose,  and,  by  Jove,  if  he  doesn't 
pull  it  right  out." 

"  Come,  now,"  cried  Joe  Basalt,  with  a  grunt,  "  I  ain't 
agoing  to  swaller  that  tale." 

"  It's  a  fact.  Billy  Longbow  was  the  most  truthful  pal  I 
ever  had — out  came  his  nether  rattan." 

"Well,  what  next?" 

"  Nothing  next,"  answered  Sam  Mason,  with  a  sly  look. 
"  That  was  the  end  of  Jocko's  tail,  and  it's  the  end  of  mine 
too." 

Now  while  they  were  engaged  in  listening  to  Sam  Mason's 
Billy  Longbow  anecdote,  they  saw  Mr.  Mole  come  out  of  the 
deck  saloon,  where  he  had  been  dozing. 

He  walked  up  the  deck  with  a  certain  apparent  unstead- 
iness of  gait. 

"  Old  Mole  is  half  seas  over,"  said  Harry  Girdwood. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what.  Wouldn't  it  be  a  lark  if  we  could 
get  him  to  strut  up  and  down  with  Nero,  without  knowing 
it?" 

"  That's  more  easily  said  than  done,  I  imagine." 

"  Wait  and  see." 

They  crept  back  out  of  sight  as  Mr.  Mole  passed  along. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  289 

Then,  having  made  a  hurried  whispered  consultation,  young 
Jack  stepped  forth  alone  and  tackled  Mr.  Mole. 

"  Taking  the  air,  sir  ? " 

*'  Yes,  Jack — hiccup — yes,  my  dear  boy,  and  I  have  come 
to  look  out  for  land." 

"Land?" 

"  Yes." 

"  Are  we  near  ?  " 

"  Sho — sho — I  mean  so — I  shpose — s'pose " 

Mr.  Mole  was  conscious  of  his  speech  being  a  little  bit 
thick,  and  he  hastened  to  add  that  he  was  suffering  from 
toothache. 

"  My  mouth  ish  sho  shwollen — swollen,  I  mean — that  I 
can  hardly  sp — speak  plainly,"  he  said. 

"  Dear  me  !     how  shocking !  "  exclaimed  young  Jack. 

Slipping  his  arm  under  Mr.  Mole's  they  walked  up  and 
down  talking. 

Meanwhile,  young  Jack  tipped  the  wink  to  Harry  Gird- 
wood,  who  slipped  out  of  his  hiding-place  with  Nero,  and 
followed  Mole  and  Jack  along  the  deck. 

Young  Jack  chose  his  opportunity  well,  and  drawing  his 
arm  out  of  Mr.  Mole's  he  pushed  Nero's  in  in  its  place. 

Mr.  Mole,  all  unconscious  of  the  change  in  his  companion, 
strutted  along,  chattering  away,  secretly  pleased  at  having 
such  an  excellent  listener  by  his  side. 

"  It'sh  really  pleasure  to  talk  to  you,  my  dear  boy,"  he  said. 

"  You  un — stand  with  half  a  word — and  I  enjoy — a  conser- 
vation— conserva — singular  thing — I  can't  say  conservashun. 
I  enjoy — a  talk — an  intellectshul  chat  more  with  you  than 
sitting  down  to  wine  with  Jeffershon  and  Harvey,  and  your 
dear  father.  Good  fellarsh — jolly  good  fellarsh — only  too 
fond  of  sitting  over  wine.  Shocking  habit — shpending  hours 

in  getting  tipshy — hiccup  !  " 

#  #  *  *  #  * 

Now,  while  Mr.  Mole  poured  out  his  philosophical  reflec- 
tions into  Nero's  ear,  Harry  Gridwood  went  and  ferched 
Harvey,  old  Jack  and  Jefferson. 

Young  Jack  stepped  back  to  the  door  of  the  deck  saloon, 
and  sat  down  while  Mole  turned  round  and  hobbled  up  the 
deck  again,  with  Nero  still  leaning  upon  his  arm. 

As  the  old  gentleman  came  up  to  where  they  all  stood, 
they  could  hear  him  still  laying  down  the  law  to  Nero. 

"Yesh,  Jack,  my  dear  boy,"  he  was  saying,  "  wine'sh  a 


290  JA  CK  HARK  A  WAY  AND  HIS  SOWS 

jolly  good  thing — to  be  ushed  and  not  abushed.  Blow  my 
toothache — toothache — so  very  dericulous — don't  know  what 
I'm  shaying." 

Mr.  Mole  winked  and  blinked  like  an  owl  in  daylight. 

"Jack." 

"  Sir." 

"Whash  the  devil— Jack!" 

He  started  in  utter  amazement. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Why,  Mr.  Mole,"  said  Harvey,  suddenly  popping  out  of 
the  cabin,  followed  by  Jefferson  and  old  Jack,  "  what  on 
earth  are  you  walking  up  and  down  with  him  for  ?  " 

"Who?" 

Before  another  word  could  be  spoken,  Nero,  on  a  secret 
sign  from  his  young  master,  took  off  his  tarpaulin  hat,  and 
dabbed  it  on  Mr.  Mole's  head. 

Mole  turned  suddenly  round  upon  his  companion. 

"  Nero — the  devil  fly  away  with  you,  you  beast !  " 

He  made  a  dash  at  the  monkey ;  but  the  latter  was  up  in 
the  shrouds  and  out  of  danger  in  the  twingling  of  an  eye. 

***#** 

"  Land  ho  ! " 
"  Which  way  ? " 
"Due  south." 

Harkaway  had  a  glass  up  in  a  crack. 
"  That's  right,"  he  said.     "  Gentlemen  all,  allow  me  to  in- 
troduce you  to  Australia." 


CHAPTER  LI. 

HUNSTON  IS  DISPOSED  OF. 

YES,  there  was  the  continent  of  Australia. 

The  ladies  came  running  up  on  deck  at  the  news,  for  the 
first  sight  of  land  after  a  long  voyage  is  a  thing  to  make  your 
heart  beat,  however  much  you  like  the  sea. 

I'  I  can't  see  any  thing  yet,"  said  little  Emily,  after  peering 
vainly  through  a  telescope  for  five  minutes. 

"  Because  you  don't  get  the  proper  focus,"  explained  young 
Jack. 


ADVENTURES  IN  GREECE.  291 

"  Then  you  fix  it  for  me,  since  you  are  so  clever,"  retorted 
the  young  lady. 

"  That's  an  Irish  remedy,"  laughed  young  Jack. 

However,  he  helped  her  to  fix  upon  the  focus,  and  then 
she  had  the  gratification  of  seeing  the  land. 

It  was  a  beautiful  verdure-clad  range  of  hills  that  they  had 
first  perceived  from  the  distance,  which  were  half  a  mile  or 
more  inland. 

So  that  they  found  themselves  presently  much  nearer  land 
than  they  had  supposed. 

It  was  covered  with  wild  luxuriant  vegetation,  but  it  was 
altogether  uncultivated. 

"  Harkaway,"  said  Jefferson,  as  they  stood  together  con- 
templating the  scene,  "  this  is  where  Hunston  must  be 
dropped  ashore." 

Harkaway  thought  it  over  for  a  few  moments. 

"Yes,  Jefferson,"  he  said,  presently,  "I  think  you  are 
right,  this  will  do.  He  can't  well  starve  here,  and  it  will  be 
better  than  dropping  him  amongst  the  civilised  people." 

A  boat  was  manned,  and  provisioned,  and  lowered. 

Then  Hunston  was  brought  up  from  below. 

His  face  had  never  changed  since  the  first  moment  that  he 
had  recovered  from  the  great  shock  of  the  fkgging  he  had 
received. 

Apparently  there  was  some  fixed  purpose  in  his  mind  now 
that  it  would  take  much  to  uproot. 

He  never  said  a  word  when  they  came  to  fetch  him. 

He  was  not  a  little  anxious  to  know  all  about  it,  but  such 
was  his  pride  that  he  would  have  perished  sooner  than  breathe 
a  word. 

As  he  was  lowered  into  the  boat,  Harkaway  just  gave  him 
to  understand  what  he  was  going  to  do  in  a  few  hurriedly- 
chosen  words. 

"  We  are  going  to  put  you  ashore  here,  Hunston  ;  not  that 
you  have  any  right  to  expect  the  least  consideration  at  our 
hands,  but  we  do  not  wish  to  have  it  on  our  consciences  that 
you  have  been  badly  treated  by  us.  You  will  be  left  here, 
far  away  from  any  human  habitation,  where  you  can  do  no 
harm,  at  least,  for  some  time  to  come.  We  shall  leave  you 
these  provisions,  but  we  have  no  arms  or  ammunition  to  give 
you." 

Hunston  listened  silently — impassive/y  to  these  words, 
the  slightest  change  in  the  expression  of  his  counte- 


292  JA  CK  H ARK  A  WAY  AND  HIS  SOWS 

nance  indicated  that  he  heard  the  words  which  been  ad- 
dressed to  him. 

"  You  are  going,  and  our  ways  through  the  rest  of  our  lives 
may  be  widely  separated.  We  may  never  meet  again.  It 
will  be  some  gratification  to  you  to  know  that  you  have  once 
more  most  keenly  disappointed  me — that  I  would  have  given 
much  to  see  the  "least  signs  of  repentance  in  you — that  the 
greatest  delight  would  have  been  for  me  to  say  to  myself '  At 
least  I  have  conquered  the  evil  in  that  man's  nature  by  show- 
ing him  a  good  return  for  his  vicious  acts,  and  turned  a  bitter 
enemy  into  a  friend,'  but  that  was  a  forlorn  hope.  May  you 
live  to  repent  your  evil  courses." 

Hunston  turned. 

Not  a  word  escaped  him. 

The  boat  pulled  off  from  the  vessel,  and  in  the  same  sul- 
len silence  he  was  landed  with  his  rations. 

There  were  forty  pounds  of  hard  biscuits,  a  good  twenty 
pounds  of  salt  beef,  besides  rice,  flour,  a  jar  of  water,  and 
other  matters  which  might  be  necessary,  should  he  fail  to  fall 
in  with  the  means  of  getting  food  and  drink  for  some  consid 
erable  time. 

But  when  that  was  gone  he  might  starve. 

THE  END. 


ONWARD    SERIES 

In.    Sets    for   Boys    o      BOOKS    6  Vols.  to  Each  Set 


7E  are  issuing  in  this 
'  series  of  sets  only 
the  highest  class 
and  best  known 
sets  of  popular 
works  for  boys 
by  the  most  pop- 
ular of  all  boys' 
writers.  Inoffer- 
ingthese  sets,  we 
are  giving  the 
first  opportunity 
of  securing  uni- 
formly bound 
sets  of  these 
works,  attract- 
ively packed  in 
substantial  box- 
es. They  will  un- 
doubtedly dem- 
onstrate their 
salabllity  on  ac- 
count of  the 
elaborate  show- 
Ing  which  can  be 

made  by  a  present  of  this  kind  for  a  moderate  price.  The  books  are  all  printed 
from  new  plates,  clear  type,  on  an  extra  quality  of  paper,  and  bound  in  su- 
perior binder's  cloth,  each  series  having  an  attractive  cover  design,  stamped 
In  three  colors  and  gold. 

THE  GUNBOAT  SERIES.     By  Harry  Castlemon. 

frank  the  Young  Naturalist  frank  in  the  Woods  frank  on  a  Gunboat 

frank  on  the  Lower  Mississippi         frank  Before  Vicksburg  frank  on  the  Prairie 

THE  BOAT  CLUB  SERIES.    By  Oliver  Optic. 

All  aboard  Boat  Club  Little  by  Little 

low  or  Never  Poor  and  Proud  Try  igain 

THE  WOOD  RANGERS  SERIES.    By  Capt.  Mayne  Reid. 
Boy  Hunters  Lone  Ranch  Rifle  Rangers 

Scalp  Hunters  Afloat  in  the  forest  Desert  Home 

THE  LEATHER  STOCKING  SERIES.    By  J.  Fenimore  Cooper. 

The  Deerslayer  Last  of  the  Mohicans  Pioneen 

The  Prairie  The  Pathfinder  The  Spy 

LUCK  AND  PLUCK  SERIES.     By  Horatio  Alger,  Jr. 
Sink  or  Swim  Strong  and  Steady  Strive  and  Succeed 

Try  and  Trust  Risen  from  the  Ranks  Bound  to  Rise 

TATTERED  TOM  SERIES.    By  Horatio  Alger,  Jr. 

Paul  the  Peddler  Phil  the  fiddler  Julius  the  Street  Bey 

Slow  and  Sure  Sam's  Chance  The  Young  Outlaw 

WAY  TO  SUCCESS  SERIES.     By  Horatio  Alger,  Jr. 

Bob  Burton  The  Store  Boy  Struggling  Upward 

Luke  Walton  facing  the  World  In  a  New  World 


Any  of  the  above  sets  of  six  volumes,  sent  to  any  address  on  receipt 
of  $3.00,  or  any  individual  title  will  be  sent  on  receipt  of  75  cents 

M.      A.      DONOHUE       <8L       COMPANY 

407-429   Dearborn   Street  -:•   Chicago.   Illinois 


A/gcr  Series  for  Boys 

The  public  and  popular  verdict 
for  many  years  has  approved  of 
the  Alger  series  of  books  as  among 
the  most  wholesome  of  all  stories 
for  boys.  To  meet  the  continued 
demand  for  these  books  in  the 
most  attractive  style  of  the  bind- 
er's art,  we  have  made  this  special 
edition  in  ornamental  designs  in 
three  colors,  stamped  on  side  and 
back.  Clear,  large  type  is  used  on 
superior  super-finish  paper.  The 
elaborate  designs  are  stamped  up- 
on binder's  English  linen  cloth,  with  side  and  back  titles 
in  large  letterings.  Each  book  in  printed  wrapper. 


HORATIO  AIGERJ*. 


1  Adrift  in  New  York  26 

2  Andy  Gordon  27 

3  Andy  Grant's  Pluck  28 

4  Bob  Burton  29 

5  Bound  to  Rise  30 

6  Brave  and  Bold  31 

7  Cash  Boy,  The  32 

8  Chester  Rand  33 

9  Cousin's  Conspiracy,  A  34 

10  Do  and  Dare  35 

11  Driven  From  Home  36 

12  Erie  Train  Boy  37 

13  Facing  the  World  38 

14  Five  Hundred  Dollars  39 

15  Frank's  Campaign  40 

16  Grit;  The  Young  Boatmali         41 

17  Herbert  Carter's  Legacy  42 

18  Hector's  Inheritance  43 

19  Helping  Himself  44 

20  In  a  New  World  45 

21  Jack's  Ward  46 

22  Jed,  the  Poor  House  Boy         4V 

23  Joe's  Luck  48 

24  Ju'.iua,  tne  Street  Boy  49 
2o  Luke  Walton  bff 


Making  His  Way 

Mark  Mason's  victory 

Only  an  Irish  Boy 

Paul,  the  Peddler 

Phil,  the  Fiddler 

Ralph  Raymond's  Heir 

Risen  from  the  Ranks 

Sam's  Chance 

Shifting  for  Himself 

Sink  or  Swim 

Slow  and  Sure 

Store  Boy,  The 

Strive  and  Succeed 

Strong  and  Steady 

Struggling  Upward 

Tin  Box,  The 

Tom,  the  Boot-Black 

Tony,  the  Tramp 

Try  and  Trust 

Wait  and  Hope 

W.  Sherwood  s  Probation 

Young  Acrobat 

Young  Adventurer,  The 

Young  Outlaw 

Young  Salesman 


For  Sale  by  all  Book   and  Newsdealers,  or  will  b«  sent  to  any  address 

in  the  U.  S..  Canada  or  Mexico,  postpaid,  on  receipt  of  price 

50c  each,  in  currency,  money  order  or  stamps. 

W-429  Dearborn  St., 


MM     n^^^L.i   >   f 
•  A.  Uononue  O 


UPWARD  SERIES 


|  In  Sets  for  Girls 


BOOKS    I  6  Vols.  to  a  Set  | 


P  RICE 


THREE    DOLLARS    PER    SET 


IN  offering  the 
books  listed 
below,  made 
np  in  attractive, 
popular  priced 
sets  for  girls,  we 
feel  that  we  will 
be  filling  a  long 
felt  want  in  sup- 
plying the  works 
of  these  great 
authoresses,nicely 
boxed  and  sub- 
stantially bound 
in  a  uniform  series 
of  six  volumes  in 
each  set,  which 
will  make  a  pre- 
tentious gift  of  the 
girl's  greatest 
treasures,  atid  un- 
doubtedly will  ap- 
peal more  strongly  to  them  by  making  a  uniform  addition  or  establishing 
a  substantial  foundation  to  the  library,  which  is  always  dear  to  a  girl's 
heart.  Each  set  is  uniformly  bound  and  each  volume  attractively 
stamped  in  appropriate  design  in  three  colors. 

PALACE  BEAUTIFUL  SERIES.    By  Mrs.  L.  T.  Meade 

Good  Luck  Polly-A  New  Fashioned  Girl          Wild  Kitty 

Sweet  Girl  Graduate  Palace  Beautiful  Deb  and  the  Duchess 

WORLD  OF  GIRLS  SERIES.    By  Mrs.  L.  T.  Meade 

World  of  Girls  Merry  Girls  of  England  Out  of  the  Fashion 

The  Young  Mutineer        Daddy's  Girl         A  Very  Naughty  Girl 

ROBIN  REDBREAST  SERIES.  By  Mrs.  Molesworth 


Robin  Redbreast 
Grandmother  Dear 


"Us" 
Girls  and  I 


Cuckoo  Clock 

Girls  in  Black 


LITTLE  PRUDY  SERIES.    By  Sophie  May 

Little  Prudy's  Story  Book         Little  Prudy         Little  Pnidy's  Sister  Susy 

Little  Pnidy's  Cousin  Grace  Little  Prudy's  Dotty  Dimple 

Little  Prudy's  Captain  Horace 

Any  of  the  above  sets  of  six  volumes  sent  to  any  address  on  receipt  of 
$3.00,  or  any  individual  title  will  be  sent  upon  receipt  of  75c. 

M.    A.    DONOHUE     &>     COMPANY 

407-429  Dearborn  Street,  Chicago 


Famous  Books  by  Famous  Authors 


DOWN     THE 
SLOPE 

By  JAMES  OTIS 

The  hero  of  this  story  is  a  young  boy 
who,  in  order  to  assist  his  mother,  works 
as  a  "breaker"  in  a  coal  mine.  The  book 
tells  how  coal  miners  work;  their  social 
condition;  their  hardships  and  pri- 
vations. 

TEDDY 

By  JAMES  OTIS 

A  captivating  story  of  how  Teddy,  a  village  boy,  helped  to  raise  the 
mortgage  on  his  mother's  home,'  and  the  means  he  took  for  doing  so.  The 
obstacles  his  crabbed  uncle  placed  in  his  way;  his  connection  with  the 
fakirs  at  the  County  Fair;  his  successful  Cane  and  Knife  Board  venture; 
his  queer  lot  of  friends  and  how  they  aided  kim;  and  how  he  finally  out- 
witted his  enemies. 

TELEGRAPH  TOM'S  VENTURE 

By  JAMES  OTIS 

A  highly  entertaining  story  of  the  adventures  of  a  boy  who  assisted  a 
United  States  officer  of  the  law  in  working  up  a  famous  case.  The  par- 
rative  is  both  interesting  and  instructive  in  that  it  shows  what  a  bright 
boy  can  accomplish  when'thrqwn  upon  his  own  resources,  and  also  portrays 
the  manner  in  which  such  officers  do  their  work. 


MESSENGER  NO.  48 

By  JAMES  OTIS 

Relates  the  experience  of  a  faithful  messenger  boy  in  a  large  city,  who  in 
answering  a  call  was  the  means  of  ferreting  out  a  band  of  criminals  who 
for  years  had  baffled  the  police  and  detectives.  The  story  tells  of  the  many 
dangers  and  hardships  these  boys  have  to  undergo,  the  important  services 
they  often  render  by  their  clever  movements;  and  how  by  his  fidelity  to 
duty,  Messenger  Boy.  No.  48  rose  to  a  most  important  position  of  trust  and 
honor.  It  teaches  boys  that  self-reliance,  pluck  and  the  faithful  performance 
of  duties  are  the  real  secrets  of  success.  24 1  pages. 

These  books  are  bound  in  cloth :  have  attractive  cover  designs  stamped 
in  two  colors,  with  titles  stamped  in  gold,  illustrated;  12mos. 

For  sale  by  all  Book  and  Newsdealers,  or  will  be  sent  to  any  address  in  the 

U.  S.,  Canada  or  Mexico,  postpaid,  on  receipt  of  price,  $1.00 

each,  in  currency,  money  order  or  stamps. 

407-429  Dearborn  Street, 
CHICAGO 


M.  A.  Donohue  &  Co. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA    T<~»« 


THE  LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
LOS  ANGFJLES 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIOC 


AA    000  481  460    4 


PZ7 


